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Plate I. Frontispiece. 
A small quiet nook of a place nestled among trees, 
and carpeted with green around. And there a brook 
should murmur with a voice of outdoor happiness. — 
And, then, health in balm should come about ray path 
and my mind be as a part of every fragrant thing that 
shone and grew around me. — Douglas Jerrolu. 



HOW TO LAY OUT 

SUBURBAN HOME 

GROUNDS 



BY 

HERBERT J. KELLAWAY 

Landscape Architect; F, A. S. L. A. 



SECOND EDITION, ENLARGED"^ 
FIRST THOUSAND 



NEW YORK 

JOHN WILEY & SONS, Inc. 

London: CHAPMAN & HALL, Limited 

1915 



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Copyright, 1907, 1915, 

BY 

HERBERT J. KELLAWAY 



MAY 27 1915 



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DCI.A401141 



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PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 

Landscape Architecture is to-day recognized as one of the 
fine arts. The application of this new art is becoming more 
universal as the days and years go by, not only in the large 
public and private undertakings, but even about the modern 
moderate home for which tliis work was especially written 
as an inspiration. That it has accompHshed much in making 
the home surroundings beautiful is the best reason for the 
hope that this edition will be helpful 

H. J. K. 

Boston, Mass., February, 1915. 



PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 

Outdoor art is to-day recognized as necessary to the com- 
pletion of a home. What are the best methods to pursue in 
designing small suburl^an grounds? As an assistance to those 
with moderate incomes wishing to secure beautiful surround- 
ings, the following thoughts are written. They are not intended 
to deal with the treatment of large estates or explain the many 
principles of landscape architecture, but only as an incentive 
to good taste. 

The need for planning and "counting the cost" before begin- 
ning the construction of the house is apparent. The problem 
should be treated as a whole, rather than to consider the 
grounds as an afterthought. 

It is not my intention that the plans and sketches shown 
shall be designs to be carried out, but only as an example of 
what can be done. Every site presents conditions and oppor- 
tunities which should be taken advantage of in the develop- 
ment. As every locality has plants that are indigenous to 
the region, it seems useless to merely give an extended list of 
trees and shrubs, but to direct the reader to a means of securing 
the knowledge in one's own community. 

In the hope that many may be inspired to seek better things 
about the home this small work is sent forth. 

Herbert J, Kellaway. 

Boston, Mass., June, 1907. 



CONTENTS. 

Page 
CHAPTER 1 

How TO Begin a Suburban Ho.me — Planning Before Beginning . 3 

CHAPTER II 
Choosing the Homesite — The Treatment of Difficult Situations 8 

CHAPTER III 
Practical Utilities and Art Combined 16 

CHAPTER IV 

Ownership — The Survey — The Preliminary Plan ant) the 

Grading Plan , 23 

CHAPTER V 

A Good Design Needs Good Construction , . 31 

CHAPTER VI 
Architectural Adornments on the Grounds 50 

CHAPTER VII 
How TO Make a Lawn . . , . . 55 

CHAPTER VIII 
What to Plant and How to Make the Planting Plan ..... 64 

CHAPTER IX 
How and When to Plant ^ . . 79 

CHAPTER X 
Trees — Desiduous and Evergreen — A Few Desirable Kinds . . 95 



viii Contents. 

CHAPTER XI 

Page 
Shrubs — Deciduous and Evergreen — A Few Hardy Kinds — 

Time and Color of Their Bloom 98 

CHAPTER XII 

Hardy Herbaceous Perennials — A Few Desirable Varieties — 

Time and Color of Their Bloom 1.02 

CHAPTER XIII 

Vines and Annuals — A Few Desirable Varieties, How to Start 

THE Seeds 115 

CHAPTER XIV 

How to Know the Plants to Use — The Sphere of the Landscape 

Architect — The Value of Good Design 123 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Page 

Plate I. Frontispiece 

Plate II. House Designed in Harmony with Natural Conditions ... 5 

Plate III. A Well Developed Suburban Community 5 

Plate IV. An Example of Good Development 9 

Plate V. Winter Scene .... 9 

Plate VI. A "Back yard " made with a Simple Lawn and Garden . . 17 
Pl.\te VII. The Rear of the House Made into a Terrace Garden with 

Sundial 17 

Plate VIII. Walled Flower Garden, Street Side 21 

Plate IX. Walled Flower Garden, Inside View 21 

Plate X. Drive Located on Simple Curves . . , , 33 

Plate XI. Steps and Walk Made to Fit Slope il 

Plate XII, Shrubbery at Base of House 41 

Plate XIII. Stepping Stones to Overcome a Grade , . 45 

Plate XIV. A Well Built Wall 45 

Plate XV. Kitchen Entrance Screened in Conjunction with Laundry 

Yard ... 47 

Plate XVI. One Type of Laundry Yard Fence 47 

Plate XVII. Wall Built of Boulders and Ledge Stones, covered with 

Vines . 53 

Plate XVIII. Service Entrance to Estate , 53 

Plate XIX. A Terrace Flower Garden 57 

Plate XX. A Flower Garden, Box Bordered 57 

Plate XXI. Brick Walk in a Terrace Flower Garden 59 

Plate XXII. A Flower Bordered Walk 59 

Plate XXIII. Wall and Gate at Kitchen Entrance . . > . o . . . 7i 

Plate XXIV. A Brick Boundary Wall 71 

Plate XXV- A Tree and Shrub Embordered Lawn ........ 73 

Plate XXVI. An Open Lawn Between House and Street ...... 73 

Plate XXVII. Natural Style of Treatment 77 

Plate XXVIII. Natural Style of Development ... o ...<.. . 71 

iz 



X Illustrations. 

Paob 

Plate XXIX. Appearance of House Before Planting 81 

Plate XXX, Appearance of House After Planting ........ 81 

Plate XXXI. Appearance of House and Grounds Before Treatment . 85 
Plate XXXII. Appearance of House and Grounds After Study and 

Development • 85 

Plate XXXIII. Appearance of House and Grounds After Grading and 

Before Planting 89 

Plate XXXIV. Appearance of House and Grounds After Study and 

Planting 89 

Plate XXXV. Terrace Garden, Herbaceor.s Perennials 105 

Plate XXXVI. Herbaceous Flower Garden 105 

Plate XXXVII. Bird Bath Walk from Flower Garden 113 

Plate XXXVIII. Flower Garden on Grounds of 1^ acres in extent. . 117 
Plate XXXIX. Terrace Garden, Herbaceous Perennials and Vines. 

Brick Walk 121 

Plate XL. Simple Treatment of Ordinary House 125 

Plats XLI. Simple Entrance to Kitchen Porch and Yard 125 



PLANS AND MAPS. 

Page 

Plan 1. Preliminary Plan for Treatment of Level Open Lot 13 

Plan II Topographical Map Estate "A" 25 

Plan III Preliminary Plan for Estate "A" 27 

Plan IV. Grading Plan for Estate "A" . 31 

Plan V. Simple Treatment of Nearly Level Lot 39 

Plan VI. Planting Plan Estate "A" 67 

Plan VII. Tape Measured Survey of Estate " B" 92 

Plan VIII. Preliminary Plan for Estate " B" 93 

Plan IX. Preliminary Plan for Estate "C" 109 

Plan X. Topographical Map of Estate "C" 109 

Plan XI. Cross Section of Estate "C" .............. 10^ 

Plan XII. Topographical Map of Estate " D " 110 

Plan XIII. Preliminary Plan of Estate " D " Ill 

Plan XIV. Topographical Map of Estate " E " 130 

Plan XV. Preliminary Plan for Estate " E " 131 



HOW TO LAY OUT SUBURBAN 
HOME GROUNDS. 



T T ///y/Z" artist so noble as he who, zuith far reaching conception of beauty 

y y and designing power , sketches the outlines, arranges the colors, and 

directs the shadows of a picture upon which nature shall be employed for 

generations before the work he has prepared for her hand shall realize his 

intentions. — FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED. 




CHAPTER I. 

And a Man shall ever see, that when Ages grow 
to Civility and Elegance, Men come to build 
stately, sooner than to garden finely; as if 
Gardening were the Greater Perfection. — 
Francis Bacon. 

HE first man, Adam, began life in Paradise, the 
garden of Eden. Is it too much to say that the 
home spirit is inborn; the love of home a force and 
the desire to own a home the crown of a man's am- 
bition? The mystical ideal is ever present not in mere wood, 
stone, and land, but is clothed about with life. The memories 
of childhood days are of the living things, the home folk, the 
animals, the trees, the flowers. There is no deep attachment 
to inanimate objects unless embodied with the mystery of home 
life and spirit. Man wants a home. The delights of ownership 
and the responsibilities are subject to the same laws, whether 
it is the rich man in his palace or the poor man in his meagre 
cottage. The ability to realize and attain the ideal is limited 
by circumstances. Often the supposed excessive expense is 
in the imagination. 

If the ideal were made tangible in the form of a well out- 
lined plan of action and development the desired result would 
be secured. Without such plan not infrequently funds are spent 
in securing poor or second-class treatment of the home gi'ounds. 
Can the ideal be attained? Yes; perhaps not all at once, 
]:)ut little by little as funds permit. The scheme must be out- 
lined and a determined and settled purpose will accomplish 
what was seemingly the unattainable. The house is usually 
the first thought. Instead the beginning should be on the 
ground, the location, quality, surroundings, and possibilities 



4 How to Lay Out 

for development. The adaptability of the site to secure the 
ideals of the home builder should be considered, whether it is 
a shrub embordered lawn, a flower garden, or natural or wild 
grounds. It is possible to create effects on almost any site, 
but every natural feature should be utilized. A home well 
begun is half done. Consideration should be given, besides 
the cost, to the "upkeep" or maintenance. The cheapest 
method of development and least cost for care is to have mostly 
lawn and shrubbery. The more details planned, such as arbors, 
terraces, and gardens, the greater will be the expense for keep- 
ing them in order. See Plates II, VIII, IX, and XX. 

Moderate places can be kept in order as a morning and even- 
ing exercise to the busy city worker. If larger grounds are 
attempted it may be necessary to hire a man by the day occa- 
sionally or secure his services permanently. This expense can 
be found by inquiry as to prevailing rates. Another item 
of expense that should be thought of, is the purchase of fer- 
tilizers and materials for repairs. 

It is a good idea not to attempt too much or plan beyond 
one's means or possible future income. 

Often one sees a house occupying the larger portion of the 
grounds, built out of proportion to the size of the lot available. 
Such large houses give the idea of a one-sided life. It is an 
inside life, not broad and cheering as the home plot well devel- 
oped can give. 

The house is usually the first thought and where shall it 
be placed, it being a universal feeling that anyone can locate 
a house. The inexperienced usually determines the location 
of the grounds without serious consideration as to the loca- 
tion of the walks, drives, lawns, clothes drying yard, coal hole, 
or sufficient thought as to sunlight. A fine view is often the 
determining point. This, at first, may be inspiring to the 
owner and to the occasional visitor, but the effect of the views 
gradually wears away. Consideration of comfort, sunlight, 
and air are more lasting and need serious thought. 




Plate. 11. House designed to harmonize wiLli red cedars existing on the 
ground, showing good taste. 




Plate III. A well studied development of a suburban community, stepping 
stones in lawn lead to covered gate. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 7 

This method of procedure often involves the owner in much 
needless expense, whereas a far better result can be obtained 
by planning before beginning. 

There is as much reason for planning the grounds as there 
is for planning the house. The position for the various depart- 
ments, such as the front approach, the servants' approach, 
the laundry yard, the stable yard, flower garden, tennis court, 
lawn, location of trees and shrubs, and the grading should all 
be determined before beginning the work. Each department 
should bear its proper relation to the other. 

No dream paper plan that is drawn to look pretty and pleas- 
ing will do, but one that is made to fit the ground, and to utilize 
all the available existing materials. 

Emphasis is often laid upon the plants and planting. 
Greater stress should be put upon the design and arrangement. 
The ground must be shaped and developed right for the same 
reason that jewels merely adorn but do not make a woman 
beautiful. See Plates V and XXV. 

In locating trees and shrubs simply bear in mind the present 
and future effect after the plants have grown to maturity. It 
is almost a truism that the composition which looks so simple 
and complete is the hardest to attain. 




How to Lay Out 



CHAPTER II. 

Choose, then, between the masterpiece of gar- 
dening and the work of nature; between what 
is conventionally beautiful, and what is beau- 
tiful without rule. — Victor Hugo. 

HE nature of man and his tastes may be expressed 
by the works he does or the choices he makes. 

Expression may be given in the architectural or 
formal style of gardening, while others may be 
satisfied by the informal or natural style. Instead of clinging 
to one style there is often a desire to have both, a touch of 
the regular well kept lines with an opportunity to retreat to 
the easy flowing grace of the natural or wild treatment. See 
Plates XXVI and XXVII. 

The choice of the site is important as providing opportunity 
for the realization of these desires. Often a site is chosen for no 
oiher reason than that a friend or neighbor will live next door. 

Much expense and disappointment may be saved by consid- 
ering a few of the following suggestive questions before pur- 
chasing. 

Are the transportation facilities to and from business frequent 
and satisfactory? 

How far distant are the schools, churches, physicians, and 
stores? 

Are there proper regulations and provisions as to street 
lighting, care of the streets, and removal of offal and ashes? 

Is there adequate provision for fire and police protection in 
the municipality? 

What are the taxes and assessments of the municipality? 

Is the street accepted and maintained by the town, or is it 
a private way to be maintained l^y and at the expense of the 
abutters. 




Plate IV. Au example of good suburban develoiament. 




Plate V. Winter effect. Eveu iu winter shrubbery in masses is beautiful 
altbougli barren of leaves. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 1 1 

Is the street if unaccepted as a public highway of the legal 
width? 

What is the elevation of the district? Is it swampy or is the 
site subject to the drainage of adjoining land? 

Are there stagnant pools in the neighborhood causing the 
breeding of mosquitoes? 

Is the district healthy? Has it a reputation for malarial 
infections? 

Has the site been filled with ashes and refuse making a poor 
foundation for the house or for the treatment of the ground? 

Is there a good, pure water supply, and, if wells are to be 
depended upon, is there any drainage from neighboring cess- 
pools or stables which is likely to contaminate the water? 

Are there nuisances in the neighborhood such as piggeries 
or foul smelling factories? 

If sewers are not in the vicinity, is the soil of such a char- 
acter that proper cesspools can be built? 

Is the neighborhood of such a character that the general 
trend of improvement will be upward? 

What is the character of the soil and subsoil? Is it adapt- 
able for either lawns, trees, shrubs, flower gardens, vegetable 
gardens, etc? 

Are building materials available in the vicinity? — that the 
cost of building may not be excessive. 

Are there restrictions as to the minimum cost and character 
of the buildings? 

In well ordered communities on tracts of land that have been 
developed by a competent landscape architect, the location of the 
roads and the shape of the lots are determined so as to provide 
the best site for the house and development for each lot. A 
restriction line or building limit is placed upon the ground 
varying from 25 feet to 50 feet in width from the street line to 
secure a uniform arrangement of houses. See Plates III and IV. 
On the side lines of the lot a restriction line from 10 to 25 
feet is placed according to the size and character of the lot, so 



12 How to Lay Out 

that any structures in the form of barns or out buildings may 
not cut off the hght or deteriorate the vahie of the next adjoin- 
ing lot. 

Other restrictions are often placed as to the character of 
]:)uildings and the use of shrubbery, trees, or any incongruous 
objects which would be detrimental to the artistic development 
of the neighborhood. Well restricted land, other things being 
equal, is usually safe property to secure. Although the first 
cost for the land may be greater, the ultimate success can be 
reasonably assured. 

Is the lot situated so that the house and grounds will receive 
a maximum amount of sunshine? A southerly exposure is 
best. 

Is the lot located so that the prevailing wind may be felt in 
the living rooms of the house? Usually the prevailing wind 
in summer is from the southwest. AVith this in mind the 
living rooms of the house should be placed with a southerly or 
westerly exposure. The kitchen can well be placed in the 
portion opposite to the prevailing wind that the odors may 
be carried away from the house. To obtain these benefits in 
special cases calls for special plans from an architect rather 
than a ready made plan. 

A southerly exposure is also best for the treatment of the 
grounds or the building of a flower garden. But few plants 
can grow in the shade. See Plate XX and Plans I, V, and VIII. 

Are the views, local or distant, satisfactory? The best views 
should be obtained if possible from the living rooms of the 
house. The local views of the prospective site may be charm- 
ing, but the views of the distance may be of such a character 
as poor factories, stone quarries, barren cemeteries, stagnant 
pools, barns, etc., that they cannot be obliterated either by 
planting or by structural means. 

In choosing the site some cheap land may be offered because 
the irregularities of the surface, the inaccessibility from the 
S(treet, or the need for filling cause added expense. These Ipts^ 




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Scale of Feet 

10 20 JO 40 50 



Plan I. Preliminary plan for treatment of level open lot. 
(Area about one acre.) 



Suburban Home Grounds. 15 

appear at first thought to be aosolutely worthless because 
there is apparently no development possible upon the first 
investigation. Yet for the exception of the increased cost of 
development the lot is an acceptable one. These waste lots 
often give an opportunity for originality of treatment of homes 
that are unique. 




t6 How to Lay Out 



CHAPTER in. 

True art is expressive before it is beautiful 
at its height it is still the adormiient of a 
service. — Charles Eliot. 

N the choice of a home site the practical uses must 
not be overlooked. There must be reason and con- 
venience in arrangement before the beautifying 
features are introduced. Notwithstanding the im- 
pression that art is not practical it is worthy of note, as keen 
observers will find, that in the works of the masters of the land- 
scape art there is a simplicity that is charming, a convenience 
that is reasonable and direct. The practical utilities are made 
the means of expressing the beauties of art whether in beauty 
of line and direction, contour or shapeliness, or the disposition 
of the embellishments of trees and shrubs. 

There is a prevalent idea that there must be a front yard 
and a back yard to every estate. The front is to be neat and 
well kept, while the back yard is neglected and considered 
waste space. See Plates VI and VIL 

This notion is fast passing away and the desire for privacy 
has led to the development of the lawn or garden front. In- 
stead of the refuse and offal boxes being scattered about the 
premises they are carefully placed in an inclosure near the 
kitchen entrance. See Plates XXIII and XXIV. 

The practical adaptability of the house to the site is worthy 
of serious thought. Of the many types the level open lot is the 
easiest and cheapest to develop and almost any type of house 
is adaptable, as the whole surroundings are to be made. See 
Plans I and V. 

The expense for grading will be light about the house, which 
is often an important item. The greatest disadvantage of an 
open lot is the necessity of waiting years for newly planted 




Plate VI. Treatment of the " Back Yard "' iuLu a simple lawu and garden 
surrounded by flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials. 




Plate VII. The rear of the house designed as a terrace garden with a 
sundial for central feature. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 19 

trees and shrubs to mature. If there are good trees existing 
on the land every effort should be made to save them. Often 
the only characteristic feature is one fine tree existing where 
the house usually would be set. The style and shape of the 
house should be studied that the tree may be saved and give 
emphasis to the home. Difficult conditions in the hand of the 
master will result in convenience and art combined. Too many 
house plans a,re made on paper without reference to the natural 
conditions of the ground, or the future development. See 
Plates II and XV. 

Side hill lots are the most difficult to treat successfully. 
Ingenuity and often large expense is necessary to secure a 
convenient and artistic arrangement. For such lots the long 
narrow house is the best. This shape of house will avoid exces- 
sively high rear basement walls. See Plate XXI. 

A free hand may be had in open hill side lots, but in wooded 
ones the problem is more difficult. It is usually desirable to 
save as many of the valuable existing trees as possible. 
Retaining walls may be needed to support the walks or drive- 
ways and to avoid filling against an especially fine tree. 

In side hill lots there is the one with the land sloping upward 
from the street level and the land sloping downward. 

On the land above, the immediate street front between the 
house and the street may be either sloped with graceful banks, 
terraced in earth and grassed, or walled. See Plate XXVI. 

The land on the opposite side of the house, or rear, must be 
shaped so the surface drainage from the land above will be 
carried away from the house. If the land is not too steep the 
earth may be excavated and shaped so the water will collect 
in a hollow and run away at the sides of the house. If that is 
not possible a wall can be built with a catch basin in the lowest 
point connected with drains to remove the surface water. The 
house may be designed to fit the slope, stepping, in such a 
manner as to remove the buried effect so often seen in side 
hill work. 



20 How to Lay Out 

On the land below the street the house is usually placed high 
enough so the earth may be filled against the cellar wall and 
get a slight drainage for the surface water away from the build- 
ing to the street. This leaves the opposite front or rear well 
out of ground, and often gives the house an appearance as if 
sliding off the hill. To obviate this effect a stone wall or earth 
terrace may be built broad enough to form a good foundation 
for the house to rest upon. If there is material enough avail- 
able, the base may be broadened out and a natural treatment 
secured. This base gives opportunities for a terrace formal 
garden which may be viewed from the rooms of the house. 
From this level place, steps can lead down to the orchard or 
vegetable garden. See Plates XIX and XXI, and Plans I, VII, 
VIII, XII, and XV. 

In exceedingly steep land it may be necessary to locate the 
house below the street grade. There should be ample space 
between the side line of the street and the house front to allow 
for shaping of the land so the surface water will be forced to run 
away from the house on either side, or the street may be held 
by a retaining wall and steps lead down to the house. In this 
latter case it will be necessary to use the catch basin and drain. 

The down hill buried effect may be greatly relieved by a 
proper selection of plants. 



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Platk VIII. Walled flower garden, street side, wisteria in full bloom. 




Plate IX. Walled flower garden, inside looking towards gate, box bordered 

walk. 




Suburban Home Grounds. 23 



CHAPTER IV. 

Give a man the secure possession of a bleak 
rock, and he will turn it into a garden; give 
him a nine years' lease of a garden and he will 
convert it into a desert. — Arthur Young. 

||ITH the purchase of the home site is deeded the 
satisfaction and responsibilities of ownership. Im- 
mediately the flights of imagination carry the home 
builder into dreams of possessing so many different 
desirable features that his mind becomes an enigma. The 
puzzle grows harder and there is less chance of a good solution 
as he walks about the plot. In imagination the house is to be 
here, and the drive there, with the flower garden at the side. 
Everji-hing appears easy at first, then comes a consciousness 
that there must be a way to solve the mystery in a business- 
like straightforward manner. 

The first step towards a solution is to make a survey plot or a 
topographical map of the ground to a convenient scale. Mod- 
erate sized lots can be measured by the ordinary method of a 
tape measure and 2 foot rule. The measurements taken can 
be plotted on a piece of drawing paper or, if that is not avail- 
able, a common ordinary sheet of heavy brown wrapping paper. 
Make the drawing on a scale of | inch to the foot, showing 
the position of the boundaries of the property, the location 
of any natural features such as trees, boulders, and shrubs 
which may be used in developing the grounds. Then if the 
ground slopes the use of a carpenter's level and a pole 10 feet 
in length will give the difference in the height of the ground 
approximately. To get the elevation set the carpenter's level 
firmly in a permanent place, make level and sight along the 
top of the level to the 10 foot pole held in the hands of an 
assistant, then by measurement the difference between the 



24 How to Lay Out 

point where the hue of sight strikes the pole and the ground 
will be the elevation to be placed upon the plan. For conven- 
ience it is a good plan to assume the top of the level at 100, and 
every measm-ement down as the land varies in height will l^e 
below 100, as 96 feet 6 inches or 91 feet 7 inches. These meas- 
urements must then be placed upon the plan in a position to 
agree with the i)oint in which they were taken upon the ground. 
The land can be divided into squares of 10 feet or 20 feet for 
convenience of locating the measurements. See Plan VII. 

Locate also the street, curb, grass strip, and sidewalk and 
the proper heights on the property line to which it will be 
necessary to grade. If there are poles, trees, hydrants, or 
sewer manholes between the street and sidewalk they should 
also be located that they may be taken into consideration in 
designing the approaches to the house. If the site is too diffi- 
cult for this simple home-made method a surveyor can l^e 
secured to get the information. The one foot contours of ele- 
vation with all the natural and artificial features should be 
shown upon the plan. See Plans II, X, XIII, and XIV. 

Surveyors usually make the plans on the 10 foot, 20 foot, or 
40 foot scale according to the size or detail of the lot required. 
On all plans be sure and place a north point. The north point 
may be obtained by taking the direction of the shadow cast 
by a pole at 12 o'clock at noon from some known point on the 
ground and drawing the line upon the plan. This is especially 
useful in the study of the house and the grounds. The plan 
made should represent the lot. 

The next step is to make a rough preliminary outline of the 
house showing the location of the rooms desired in their rela- 
tion one to the other. 

With the preliminary outline of the house and the survey 
plot the process of development can begin. Place the outline 
of the house on the survey in the position thought of on the 
ground, whether 25 feet or more from the street line and the 
supposed position from the side line. Then study the loca- 



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Suburban Home Grounds. 29 

tion of walks, drives, gardens, lawns, and tennis courts in their 
relation to the house and to each other. See Plans III, IX, 
and XV. 

The height of the first floor above the street should be deter- 
mined, allowing for the height of the under pinning of the house 
and the necessary slopes to the street. At this point if there 
is much difference in elevation a cross section should be made 
to assist in determining the height. See Plan XI. 

Before going too far, examine the practical points such as 
the coal delivery, the deUvery of supplies to the house, the 
relation of the living room windows to the sun and to the lawn 
or garden. There may also appear difficulties in grade for 
the walks or drives which will need adjustment. See Plate XX. 

That which is usually carried in the mind's eye on the ground 
will appear out of place and awkward when drawn on paper 
and studied. Drives that would seem easy enough in grade, and 
graceful in alignment, will be found to be excessively steep 
and crooked when drawn and figured. The supposed position 
for a lawn or flower garden will be found to be impossible. The 
bulkhead or coalhole may need to be moved or a flight of steps 
or a door introduced into the design of the house in order that 
access to the lawn or garden may be made direct. After- 
thoughts in building are always expensive, and there are many 
examples of what "not to do" in the houses and grounds that 
have been carelessly constructed. See Plans VII and VIII. 

The outlines of the beds of shrubs and position of the trees 
are then added to the preliminary sketch, but not until all the 
practical points have been determined. There must be a u?e 
for every portion of the grounds the same as there is for the 
house, whether for service, pleasure, or adornment. If the 
problem is too difficult an experienced landscape architect 
will be of assistance in sifting the chaff from the wheat in 
the ideas and give unity and originality to the scheme. 

Having determined the preliminary sketch the next step is 
to enter more into detail of both house and grounds. 



30 How to Lay Out 

At this point, if the home builder has not sufficient confi- 
dence or knowledge (and most men are wise enough to know 
their deficiencies) to carry out in detail the plans for the house 
an architect should be consulted. When the architect's plans 
are completed and the specifications are drawn, the wise man 
plans his grounds in detail, or calls in a landscape architect to 
make a plan that will use all the materials excavated econom- 
ically. The plaii is called a grading or working plan. It will 
show the excavation and fills to be made to get the desired 
shape, the location of the walks, drives, etc., with their proper 
grades and indicate the depth of topsoil to be used for a lawn, 
garden, or for planting beds. See Plan IV. 

A specification accompanying the plan should state the 
character of work and kind of materials required. 

It is not necessary to complete all the work planned at one 
time ; a portion can be carried out with the excavated materials 
from the cellar. The remainder of the work can be completed 
from time to time as funds become available. 

By thus working to a definite end, the completed whole will 
eventually be secured. The work should be thorouglily done 
for good results. 




K K Li'3 °^ 




Plate X. Drive located on simple curves at side of property, carriage turu close to 
kitchen door and laundry yard. Visitors alight halfway up the drive. Shrubbery 
border screens drive from house lawn. 




Suburban Home Grounds. 35 

CHAPTER V. 

What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. 

GOOD design needs good construction. The execu- 
tion is often beset by many difficulties largely caused 
by lack of knowledge or the failure to appreciate the 
value of good work. Man can judge of, and will pay 
for, a good piece of wood or stone work, but in the grounds there 
is often an effort to save expense at the loss of good results. 

By all means the use of poor soil or rubbish should be avoided 
in the filling, as it will show later when an attempt is made 
to gi-ow grass or shrubs. The disposition of the subsoil and 
the topsoil must be carefully watched. Not every man who 
can handle a shovel well can grade well; the workmanship of 
the skilled artisan is displayed even in this menial type of 
work. A man with good judgment will save extra expense 
by scheming the work to avoid much double handling of soil. 

A good way is to clear the topsoil from a small area in both 
the portions to be excavated or filled, and pile the soil in some 
convenient yet out of the way place. Then make the exca- 
vation or the fills, and when more area is needed to work on, 
clear away some more topsoil and place it over the filled subsoil 
in its permanent position. 

In gi-ading or shaping the ground every effort should be 
made to have the slopes graceful and smooth. There is a line 
of beauty known as the ogee curve, which can be used in 
grading with as good results as by artists in their work. See 
Plan XI. 

In making the side slopes to a drive or walk, care should be 
taken to grade them to graceful lines and make them soften 
into the adjoining grounds, avoiding any sharp or abrupt 
angles. If anyone observes the natural slopes which occur in 



36 How to Lay Out 

fields they will see that there are no harsh lines, and wherever 
man has made excavations, nature is trying to soften the sharp 
edges and remove the ugly defects. 

The location of a drive is important to its success. It should 
conform to the topography and shape of the land. It should 
be planned to save any valuable existing features or a fine 
boulder, a good tree, a ledge or a group of desirable shrubs. 
Drives are means of ingress and egress, and should serve these 
purposes quickly. The direction should be made very simple; 
unnecessary crooks and turns are only awkward, not beauti- 
ful. After once entering the property and having seen the 
house, it is a poor plan to make the drive meander about. It 
should be made as direct as possible. To the moderate home, 
there should be some reason for building the drive other than 
for the delivery of coal. The added expense of basketing 
the coal at 25 cents per ton is more than offset by the cost of 
the maintenance of the drive. See Plates X and XVIII. 

It is a poor plan to make the house appear like an oasis in 
the desert by the encircling of the drive. The drive surface is 
not very handsome in itself and should not be made wider or 
more extensive than is necessary. Lawns, shrubberies, and 
trees are more to be desired than barren drives. Many a beau- 
tiful lawn has been separated from the house and spoiled for 
enjoyment by a poorly located or unnecessary drive. If there 
are no existing features to be saved or as a guidance or excuse 
for a curve it may be necessary to plant trees and shrubbery 
to give reason for the direction planned. Never use a flower 
bed or small architectural object or an urn; they are too trivial. 

The width of the drive is determined by the frequency of 
use. If the distance is short and there is but little driving 
a width of 9 or 10 feet is ample. If the distance is longer or 
where there is need for carriages passing each other, the drive 
should be made 14 or 16 feet in width. On no account should 
a drive be made 12 feet in width, as it is too wide for a single 
drive and not wide enough for two vehicles to pass without 



Suburban Home Grounds. 37 

damaging the turf edge. It is a very deceptive width to per- 
sons driving and meeting another carriage as it looks wider 
than it really is. A muddy drive is a poor introduction to the 
home grounds. The surface drainage from the land adjoin- 
ing the drive and the drainage of the drive itself may need 
to be taken care of by means of subsoil drains. 

If the subsoil is clay or very wet, underdrains should be 
used on the sides or in the middle of the drive. This is done 
by digging a narrow trench 3 feet or 4 feet below the proposed 
finished surface and laying 2 inch or 3 inch agricultural tile at 
the bottom of the trench in such a slope that the water will run 
through them. The joints of the tile should be covered with bur- 
lap or tile collars used in addition to prevent the joints becom- 
ing clogged. The water passes largely from the land into the 
tile through the joint. In filling in the trench, first throw 
some hay, stone, or inverted sod over the tile, then spread a 
layer about 6 inches in depth of small field stone, broken stone, 
or coarse gravel as an additional means of drainage. After 
this is done the soil may be refilled and tamped with a rammer. 

The surface water can be taken care of by forming a groove 
or turf gutter at the side of the drive or by building a narrow 
gutter of stone or brick. 

If there is a large quantity of water flowing from the adjoin- 
ing surface it may be necessary to use a catch basin, A very 
economical way to build one is to use three lengths of vitrified 
sewer pipe, 20 inches in diameter, set on end. On top, an iron 
grating is set to fit into the bell of the pipe. The middle length 
of the pipe should have a "T" outlet usually about 6 inches 
in diameter. 

From this the drains can be connected and laid to the desired 
point of discharge. Smaller sized catch basins can be built 
to take care of a smaller flow of surface water. 

The joints of the pipe should be all sealed with cement mor- 
tar, and it is a good plan to set the bottom upright pipe in 
cement. This then forms a catch basin that will hold the debris 



38 How to Lay Out 

running into the basin. This basin will need to be cleaned 
out occasionally. This is done by removing the grating and 
using a long handled shovel. The drain pipes should be laid 
on an inclination sufficient to get good flow. 

In excavating for the drive all the topsoil and poor subsoil 
should be removed to a depth of 2 feet if necessary, and a foun- 
dation replaced of good clean material, gravel or refuse stone. 
The bottom should then be brought to a rounding surface, 
allowing for the depth of the finishing material, gi-avel, ma- 
cadam, or Telford. 

If there is but little travel, a gi-avel drive will be satisfactory. 
It can be built by using two layers of gravel -1 inches in thick- 
ness. The bottom layer should contain the larger stones or 
coarser part of the gravel and rolled to a fine surface. On this 
layer the finishing 4 inch layer can be placed. This should 
be good binding gravel with the larger stones raked out. Then 
the surface should l)e rolled smooth and to a rounding shape 
or crown of ^ inch to the foot at the sides and round in the 
middle. It seldom happens that gravel can be obtained of the 
required quality in the pit. If the gravel is too coarse it should 
be screened through a 2^ inch mesh screen. A two and one 
half ton horse ring roller is the best to use for rolling the drive 
on small grounds. 

If there is more driving, or there is not a good quality or 
quantity of gi-avel in the neighborhood, a macadam drive 
should be made. This can be built by using 4 inches of crushed 
stone of the 1^ inch size, laid and shaped in the same manner 
as for the gravel drive and rolled to a firm surface. On this 
rolled surface is next placed a 1 inch layer of smaller crushed 
stone and screenings mixed. This should be watered and 
rolled until a smooth hard surface is obtained. The same 
crown should be made in finishing as described for the gravel 
drive. 

If there is a great amount of use, or if there is a large quan- 
tity of stone on the grounds, a Telford drive can be built on a 










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Suburban Home Grounds. 43 

foundation shaped 1 foot below the proposed finished surface. 
The bottom layer of stone is composed of pieces of broken 
stone averaging 8 inches in size, set upon end. The spaces 
between the larger stones are filled and wedged with smaller 
pinning stones. On this bottom foundation layer a 3 inch 
layer of the medium size 1^ inch or 2h inch crushed stone 
should be placed and thoroughly rolled until smooth. After 
this has been done a finishing layer 1 inch in thickness 
of small crushed stones and screenings mixed should be placed, 
rolled, and watered until a smooth hard surface is obtained. 
If necessary a little clay or binding gravel may be used for a 
binder in the finishing courses. 

The grades of the drive should be as easy as possible; an 
approach or main entrance drive should not have over 5 
feet rise in the 100 feet, a service drive not over 7 feet. 
In extreme cases it may be necessary to increase these figures 
to 10 feet in the 100. 

Walks or paths are designed and built on the same deter- 
mining principles. There should be some reason for their 
being: as, to go to an arbor, a tennis court, the doors of the 
house, or other buildings. Mere meandering walks without 
any occasion for their use are not objects of beauty. They 
may be constructed either of gravel or macadam, and the widths 
vary from 2 to 8 feet according to the purpose to be served. 
The grade of the walk should be as easy as possible, never over 
12 feet in 100. A crown of i inch to the foot on the sides and 
rounding in the middle is ample for a walk. See Plates XXI 
and XXII. 

In steeper slopes where it is desirable to carry a walk, steps 
should be used to overcome the steep gi-ade. These can be 
built to fit the ground or may be short flights with a short 
run of walk between each flight. The steps may be built of 
wood, stone, or brick. See Plate XI. 

When there is but little use, yet a means or communication 
is desired, stepping stones should be substituted for the walk. 



44 How to Lay Out 

This will remove the effect of the walk dividing the lawn and 
reduce the maintenance to a minimum. Stepping stones are 
made by using slabs of stone or flat boulders set into the lawn 
flush with the siUTOunding surface. A good distance apart 
for the stones for convenient walking is 22 inches on centres. 
If settlements should take place on the lawn about each stone, 
it is a very easy matter to raise or lower them to conform to 
the surface. If they are kept at the proper elevation a lawn 
mower will pass over and cut the grass without the need of 
using shears along the edges as is often used in other kinds of 
walks. See Plates III and XIII. 

A clean yet more expensive method is to build the walk of 
brick. A good foundation should be made to avoid settle- 
ments. If the work is properly done there will be no repairs. 
The bricks can be laid herringbone fashion, lengthwise, cross- 
wise of the walk, or in various patterns. A little curb edge 
may be formed along the side of the walk by elevating a brick 
on its side about an inch above the general surface and the 
earth filled flush with the top. The color of the brick should 
harmonize with the building and its surroundings. Yellow 
brick should be avoided, red is the most pleasing color to use. 
See Plate XIX. 

The use of artificial stone, often called granolithic, makes a 
good but more expensive walk. The foundation for this kind 
of walk must be thoroughly made and good under drainage 
provided to avoid disturbance by the action of frost. It may 
be necessary to remove poor or clayey soil to a depth of 3 feet 
and the space filled with dry gravel, broken stone, or boiler 
cinders; the depth will vary to suit the locality. See Plate XV. 

The walk is then divided into sections varying from 3 to 6 
feet square by the use of strips of wood nailed to stakes driven 
into the ground. If settlement takes place, each block will sepa- 
rate as a single stone without cracking. The stones can be laid 
alternately or continuously by sanding the joint, or with a strip 
of paper placed between before laying the next block adjoin- 




Plate XIII. Stepping stones to overcome grade to street end ot terrace 

garden. 




Plate XIV. Well buili wall, nole raked out joints and slight batter. 
Turnstile instead of gate. 



"•'I*' 


Jpl^^^H 


1 





Plate XV. 



Kitc'lieii entrance .screened in combination with laundry yard. 
Celastrus scandens (bitter sweet) on archway. 




Plate XVI. A laundry yard fence designed in harmony with the house. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 49 

ing. The bottom layer of the walk is usually laid 3 inches in 
thickness, composed of one part best American Portland 
cement, two parts clean, sharp sand, and four or five parts 
broken stone. After the bottom layer is thoroughly rammed, 
a finishing layer one inch in thickness is laid, composed of one 
part cement and one and one half parts clean, sharp sand or 
one part cement and two parts stone dust. 

The surface is then finished smooth with proper tools and 
protected from the weather by coverings until the surface is 
firm and hard. 

The rate of grade in a granolithic walk should not be over 
feet in 100 feet, never over 7; a safe rule is to use it only 
on walks that bluestone flag stones would be used. The 
surface is so smooth that it is dangerously slippery when too 
steep. The color of the walk can be varied to red or slate by 
the use of coloring pigment. Slate blue color may be obtained 
by the use of lamp black; slate color is obtained by the use of 
one pound of lamp black to a barrel of cement. Red color is 
obtained either by the use of red sand or ground red sandstone 
or Venetian red or both mixed. Reds are hable to fade. The 
limit of color is five pounds to the barrel of cement. 

Another method for walks and drives is the penetration 
method. The foundation layers are laid in the same manner 
as outlined for Telford and Macadam work. The lower layers 
are filled ^vith screenings, sand, or gravel and the upper layers 
are rolled and bound with bituminous materials, either a 
mixtm-e of pitch and tar or asphalt. There are several brands 
known to the trade Avith varying merits according to the uses 
of the chive or walk. The finish of these surfaces are made 
with pea stone rolled into the first coat and on the second 
coat of the preparation screenings are spread and rolled in to 
get the macadam appearance. 




50 How to Lay Out 



CHAPTER VI. 

And some praise must be allowed by the most 
scrupulous observer to him ^\'ho does best 
what multitudes are contending to do well. — 
S. Johnson. 

ANCY fi'ce the dreamer thinks of arbors, seats, and 
cool retreats, yet to build and make real in lines of 
beauty is no dream. An arbor in the grounds may 
form a vista point in the landscape, be the excuse 
for ending a wa'k or the means of commanding a fine view that 
otherwise would not be seen from the house. If near the house, 
it should be designed to be in keeping with the architecture of 
the building. If at some distance away from the house spruce 
poles, cedar slabs, or roots make good work. It is usually 
better to have a floor raised at least one step from the ground. 
It is a good plan before building to observe structures that 
have been built by others and note if they are inharmonious 
with the house and grounds. Then avoid these in building on 
the home grounds. The more dignified name for an arbor is a 
pergola (the name is wrongly used), useful to inclose a lawn, 
a flower garden, or help hide some objectionable feature in 
the neighborhood. It should look when built as if it belonged 
to the place and not appear as if dropi)ed by a passing wind 
without relation to the house or lawn. See Plans V, and VIII 
and Plate XIX. 

Grape or flowering vines can be grown over it making on hot 
summer days a pleasant retreat from the heat of the house. 
See Plates VIII, IX and XXI. 

A seat to end a walk or command a view is better built on 
plain and unol)trusive lines. If bui t more on the style of an 
old fash oned bench or form, it wil be less conspicuous than 
the many connnercial designs offered for sale. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 51 

The arbor or pergola may be planned so as to form one side 
of the lamidry or clothes drying yard, helping to make a very 
desirable feature. See Plates XV and XVI. 

If a laundry yard fence is to be built it should be about 
7 feet high, and designed architecturally correct. The posts 
of such a fence may be either of red cedar, white cedar, chest- 
nut, or locust, so that the chance of decay will be largely over- 
come. Make the mesh of the lattice close enough to hide the 
clothes from general view, and yet open enough to allow a 
circulation of air to dry the clothes. The use of a laundry 
yard should be encouraged as it is a gi-eat aid in keeping the 
grounds neat and helps to form an artistic setting when vines 
and shrubbery are well placed. A very practical advantage 
from the housekeeper's standpoint is, that the clothes are 
shielded from the gaze of outsiders, and the despoiling by dogs 
or other animals. The clothes may also be laid on the gi'ass 
to bleach in perfect safety. Spruce poles set closely together 
with the bark left on make a good fence. This kind of fence 
will last for years and will avoid the necessity of painting. 

Fences may be needed along the street front for the pro- 
tection of the grounds. A height of 3 feet to 3 feet 6 inches 
will serve all the purposes required. It is better to substitute a 
hedge or border of shrubs planted about a concealed wire fence 
thus wild animals are excluded and the grounds made more 
attractive. A woven wire mesh fence on the side lines covered 
with vines makes it an economical and good way to protect 
the grounds from encroaching neighbors. See Plates XXIII 
and XXIV. 

For more permanent effects build a wall. The foundation 
of the wall should be laid deep enough to be below the work- 
ing of frost and wide enough at the base to carry the wall built 
above. A good safe rule to use in building bank walls is to 
make the base one half the height in thickness. See Plates 
XVIII and XXVI. 

Terrace and bank walls look better when built with a batter 



52 How to Lay Out 

or slope on the outer face. Thus the tipping over effect often 
seen in plumb walls will be obviated. See Plate XIV. 

The treatment of the coping of the wall affords an oppor- 
tunity to give a finishing touch. The finish of the face of the 
wall and the manner and method of laying the stone, calls for 
taste and skill. Open joints, with the mortar raked well back 
from the face of the wall, form a more pleasing and substantial 
treatment than if the mortar is smeared on the surface. Let 
the individual stones stand out. See Plate XIV. 

Pleasing effects are made by using boulders and weather 
beaten stone laid at random to hold a very steep bank about 
a summer house or other artificial object; the spaces being filled 
with good soil, rock loving plants may be induced to grow. On 
no account should a rockery be built in the centre of a lawn, it 
being classed as one of the incongi'uous objects which help to 
mar the beauty of the grounds, and is in the same category as 
a red painted pot filled with flowers hanging on a three forked 
stick, or a piece of sewer pipe for an ornament, or an old boat 
filled with earth in which are geraniums and nasturtiums. 

Often a brook passing through the home lot could be made 
use of in many ways. If from a higher region it might be 
conveyed to a fountain basin in the centre of a flower garden, 
or a natural treatment can be made in the form of cascades, and 
interesting water plants can be induced to grow along the banks. 
In planning or building the water basins, whether of stone, 
cement, concrete, or brick, the practical points must not l)e 
overlooked, such as the drainage and the liability of damage 
by frost. 




Plate XVII. Wall built of boulders aud ledge stone covered with vines. 
Top of stones are about three feet above sidewalk. 




Plate XVIII. Service entrance to estate. Front entrance court is about 
fifteen feet away to the left, screened by well studied plantation. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 55 




CHAPTER VII. 

One cultivates a lawn even with great satis- 
faction; for there is nothing more beautiful 
than grass or turf in our latitude. The tropics 
may have their delight but they have not 
turf; and the world without turf is a dreary 
desert. — Charles Dudley Warner. 

HE joy and delight of every home builder is a good 
lawn. Without it all efforts at adornment seem 
futile. The green carpet is the canvas upon which 
the house, trees, shrubs, and flowers depend for set- 
ting. How to obtain a good lawn and how to keep it good, re- 
quires more thought than any other portion of the grounds. A 
weedy patch, a brown or sunburned spot is so conspicuous as to 
need immediate treatment and is often hard to cure. How often 
one sees a lawn dug over and reseeded with but the same poor 
result! The real secret is to have the conditions right, and 
the workmanship and materials of the very best. Added to 
these must be skill and good judgment to secure the results. 

The quality of the soil and the subsoil should be examined, 
and if there is a deficiency of the requisites for a lawn, the lack 
should be supplied. Cold, soggy, wet land must be improved 
by subdraining, and ledgy land by blasting away the ledge to at 
least 3 feet below the proposed new surface, or the ledge may be 
filled over to get the proper depth of soil. A moist soil is the 
best for a lawn with a slight mixture of clay or a clay subsoil 
which retains a certain amount of moisture yet is not wet. 
Clay may be added to very sandy soil, or sand to very heavy, 
stiff, clayey soil to get the proper conditions. If the soil is 
sour, air slaked lime can be used to correct the acidity. It 
is often thought that the use of manure or fertilizer is a need- 
less expense because it is buried in the ground and nothing can 



56 How to Lay Out 

be seen of the money expended, yet there is no surer way of 
securing lasting results than by the use of plenty of good man- 
ui'e and fertilizer. 

Manure should be very well rotted, mixed stable manure 
or cow manure is the best. Manure which contains shavings 
or wood chips is a very poor kind for making a lawn. As the 
wood decays on the ground a fungus is formed which causes 
bare spots. Commercial fertilizers may be used to advantage 
in many instances. They act, however, more as a stimulant 
to the soil than as a permanent treatment. Manure puts 
humus into the soil which feeds the plants after the commercial 
fertilizer has lost its power. 

The practice of placing manure on the gi'ass about the home 
in the fall is rather disgusting in that it makes a barnyard 
of the premises all winter. The use of sheep manure or wood 
ashes in the spring during the April rains is equally as beneficial. 
If it is desired to use manure, two or three weeks' dressing in 
the spring during the April showers is more effective than 
manure placed in the fall upon the frozen gi'ound. In the 
latter method all the fertilizing juices wash away into the 
street or sidewalk. 

A common practice in building is to scatter the excavated 
cellar material about the house over the existing topsoil, spread 
on top a few inches of good soil, and expect to get a good lawn. 
As a good lawn is dependent on the quality and quantity of 
the topsoil, it is desirable to remove and save all good soil 
about the building. Then after the subgrading has been done 
respread the topsoil at least one foot in depth. The topsoil 
should be kept clean and free from stones, roots, and weeds. 

The grading or the shaping of the ground is responsible in 
many ways for the appearance of a lawn. A slightly convex 
surface gives the appearance of extent, and one slightly con- 
cave of narrowness. 

Any ugly banks or ridges should be removed, or shaped to 
secure graceful smooth lines. When the proper depth of top- 




PLATi; XIX. Terrace flower garden. Pergola at end. Laundry yard seen 
through opening at left. Dorothy Perkins rose on fence, Phlox in bloom. 



r IB III Hi 

E!E HI H 

f llllllll!! 
\ III III II 




Plate XX. Flower garden, box bordered, adjoining a small conservatory. 

p. 57 




Plate XXI. Terrace flower garden. House before had appearauce as if it 
were sliding off hill. Brick walk with birch edge. 




Platk XXII. Flower bordered walk. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 6i 

soil and shape have been secured the manure should be evenly 
spread and spaded in 8 or 10 inches deep. Grasses have long 
roots and will seek the manure which might seem to be buried 
too deeply. 

The manure should be used at the rate of 15 to 20 cords to 
the acre, depending on the quality of the soil and the kind of 
manure. After the manure has been dug in, a good commercial 
lawn fertilizer, at the rate of 500 or 600 pounds to the acre, 
should be used to act as a stimulant to the grass seed. Then 
the ground must be raked, all the hollows filled, humps smoothed 
and rolled to an even surface. When the ground is smooth, 
sow the seed at the rate of about 70 pounds to the acre, then 
give a final raking or rolling. Nothing but the very best lawn 
grass seed should be sowed. The kind known to the trade as 
recleaned, fancy cleaned is the best. Buy seed only of honest, 
reliable dealers. A good mixture for general purposes is to take 
two parts Kentucky blue grass, two parts of Rhode Island Bent, 
two parts Red Top, and one part white clover. Other mix- 
tures of different proportions and kinds of seed can be made 
to suit special conditions. 

Weeds will be a source of annoyance coming either from 
the manure, poor seed, or the soil itself. A heavy sowing 
of seed to form a thick mat will help to kill out the weeds. 
When weeds appear they should be dug out of the lawn. The 
best time to seed is just before a shower. Heavy rains are 
liable to wash the seed away and make gullies in the lawn. 
These scars should be repaired and reseeded immediately. 
Any bare spots where the seed fails to come up should be re- 
seeded after waiting a reasonable time, say, about two weeks 
after seeding. Patience and perserverance is the price of a 
good lawn. 

There is a difference of opinion as to the best season to seed 
a lawn, some claiming that the spring is the better, others the 
fall. If the seed is sown early in the spring good results will 
be secured, but if sown late the summer droughts will burn 



62 How to Lay Out 

the young grass before it becomes established. Good success 
is obtained by sowing in the fall. The last two weeks in August 
or the first two weeks in September is the best time. In the 
fall weed seeds are not so vigorous, the rains and heavy dews 
are almost certain, and there is time enough for the grass to 
get established before winter. 

Good judgment should be shown in caring for a lawn. The 
first mowing of a newly seeded lawn should be done with a 
scythe. Avoid too close clipping of the lawn during droughts. 
Do not let the grass grow too tall as it shades the roots causing 
th'C grass to have a burnt appearance. 

Good turf is the one essential for a tennis lawn. A quick 
method of securing the finished surface is to sod the area. 
Sprinkle some screened topsoil and commercial lawn fertilizer 
over the sod and sow a little grass seed, water and roll. A space 
of about 50 feet by 100 feet is usually needed and allowed for 
a tennis court. 

Tennis has developed from the simple game played on the 
lawn to one played on a specially prepared dirt or gravel 
court. The desire to own a court has caused all ideas of 
beauty in the lawn or home surroundings to be abandoned. 
The unity of what was once beautiful home surroundings has 
often been destroyed. Unless kept in constant use and repair 
they are apt to become barren wastes with straggling weeds. 
Such surfaces should be hidden from view of the house by 
a fence covered with vines or a plantation of trees and 
shrubs. 

To make a gravel tennis court a space about 50 feet by 
100 feet should have all the topsoil and poor subsoil removed. 
If the ground is very wet the land should be underdrained. 
Then use the same methods for building the gravel court as 
is adopted for the building of gravel or macadam drives. If 
the court cannot be made level, slope either way about I inch 
to the foot and in the direction of the general slope of the land. 
The back net can be made a permanent fence by the use of 



Suburban Home Grounds. 63 

gas-pipe rails 8 feet high and electric welded mesh wire securely 
fastened to the rails by galvanized or copper wire. The mesh 
of the wire chosen must be of a size to keep the tennis balls 
from being driven tlu'ough the fence. The gas pipe should 
be painted dark green. 

For a full-sized, regulation tennis court an area about 60 
feet by 120 feet should be set apart. The court should be plaimed 
so the length will be as nearly north and south as it is possible 
to make it. This allows for the play in the morning and the 
afternoon, as the sun will then shine across the court and not 
in the eyes of the players. The fence in such cases is usually 
made about 10 to 12 feet in height. On either side of the 
court an opening should be left in the form of a httle gate 
to allow the players to get a stray ball that has been driven 
over the fence. On either side a seat can be arranged under 
the shadow of a vine-clad entranceway to the court. Well 
selected vines suitable to the locality and exposm^e enliance 
the beauty of the court as well as furnishing a background 
for the white tennis balls. Ai't can even be displayed in the 
arrangement and treatment of the tennis court, instead of 
the dreary wastes so often seen. 



64 



How to Lay Out 




CHAPTER VIII. 

There are too many who have no idea of im- 
provement, except by increasing the quantity, 
the quaUty, or the value of an estate. The 
beauty of the scenery seldom enters into their 
thought; and, What will it cost? or, What will 
it yield? not. How will it look? seems the gen- 
eral object of inquiry in all improvements. — 
Sir Humphrey Repton. 

HAT shall I plant? is the usual question of the 
improver, not where shall I plant or how will the 
jip-ounds look? If there is an open space or a nice 
clean expanse or breadth of lawn there is great 
temptation to plant in the middle a tree, a bush, a flower bed, 
or a rockery. It has almost become a belief that he who plants 
a tree is a benefactor — only plant — never mind art or 
artistic feeling in the location of the tree. Sometimes one 
will hear a remark, — "I don't need any plans; just give me 
the bushes; I can see it all in my eye how to plant on the 
ground." Such words are not infreciuent from so-called pro- 
fessors of the art of landscape gardening or landscape archi- 
tecture. Does it not seem strange that such men as Repton 
and Olmsted, masters in their art, should need to make a 
plan? See Plan VI. 

Then the next step is to make a planting plan after the 
grading plan has been finished or the grading has been com- 
pleted. This plan should show in detail the kind and number 
of plants to use to form the groups and masses indicated on the 
preliminary sketch. 

To begin with, take the grading plan and the topographical 
map and compile a complete map of all the existing features, 
the house and the new changes in the grounds. Then locate 
by arrow lines the direction of the views from the principal 



PLANTING LIST. 



1. Euonymus radicans; 25 plants. 

Evergreen Creeper. 

2. Hedera Helix; 5 plants. 

English Ivy. 

3. Clematis paniculata; 9 plants. 

Clematis. 

4. Lonicera Halleana ; 12 plants. 

Hall's Honeysuckle. 

5. Wistaria Chinensis, 2 plants. 

Chinese Wistaria. 

6. Crimson Rambler Rose; 7 plants 

Variety, Dorothy Perkins. 

7. Ampelopsis quinquefolia; 23 plants. 

Woodbine. 

8. Kalmia latifolia ; 5 plants ; 3 ft. apart. 

Mountain Laurel. 

9. Ligustrum Ibota; 3 beds; 25 plants, 

3 feet apart. 
Japan Privet. 

10. Andromeda floribunda; 5 plants; 

2 feet apart. 

Lily of the Valley Bush 

11. Spiraea Van Houteii; 3 beds; 29 

plants; 3 feet apart. 
Van Houtte's Spirea, 

12. Ligustrum Regelianum: 3 beds; 30 

plants; 2^ feet apart. 
Regels Privet. 

13. Berberis Thunbergii; 2 beds; 17 

plants; 2 feet apart. 
Japan Barberry. 

14. Viburnum Lentago; 4 beds; 38 

plants; 2h feet apart. 
Sheepberry. 

15. Cydonia Japonica; 1 bed; 2 plants; 

2 feet apart 

Japanese quince. 

16. Deutzia gracilis; 2 beds; 6 plants; 

2 feet apart. 
Dwarf Deutzia. 

17. Symphoricarpos vulgaris; 1 bed; 

20 plants; 2 feet apart. 
Indian Currant. 

18. Deutzia Lemoinei; 2 beds; 15 

plants ; 2 feet apart 
Lemoines Deutzia. 

19. Iberis sempervirens suberba; 1 bed ; 

35 plants; 1 foot apart. 
Evergreen Candytuft. 
20 Stephanandra flexuosa; 2 beds; 10 
plants; 2 feet apart. 
Stephanandra. 

21. Cornus elegantissima ; heeled in on 

ground; 4 plants. 
Dogwood. 

22. Loniceia Tatarica; 2 beds; 15 

plants; 3 feet apart. 
Tartarian Honeysuckle. 

23. Vinca minor: 100 plants; 6 in. apart. 

Periwinkle. 



24. Crataegus oxycantha coccinea 

fiorepleno ; 2 plants. 
English Hawthorn. 

25. TroUius Europeus; CO plants; 1 

foot apart. 
Globe Plower. 

26. Spring bulbs in edge of bed 

Crocus; Scilla; Hyacinths. 

27. Aspidium acrostichoides, 12 

plants; 1 foot apart. 
Christmas Fern. 

28. Aspidium marginale; 15 plants; 

1 foot apart. 

Evergreen Wood Fern. 

29. Dicksonia punctilobula ; 12 

plants, 8 feet apart. 
Gossamer Fern. 

30. Osmunda Claytoniana; 12 plants; 

2 inches apart. 
White Crozier. 

31. Peonies; 50 plants; 2 feet apart. 

Named Varieties. 

32. Phlox; tall flowering; 60 plants; 

2 feet apart. 

Named varieties 

33. Spiraea; Anthony Waterer; 12 

plants; 2 feet apart. 

Anthony Waterer Spirea 

34. Forsythia suspensa; 6 plants; 3 

leet apart. 

Weeping Golden Bell. 

35. New Dwarf Crimson Rambler; 

5 plants. 

Baby Rambler. 

36. Hardy hybrid roses; existing on 

ground; plant 2 feet apart. 

37. Hardy perennials in flower garden 

at rear of house. 

38. Phlox subulata; 40 plants; 8 

inches apart. 
Moss Pink. 

39. Alyssum argenteum; 10 plants; 

8 inches apart. 
Gold Dust. 

40. Dicentra spectabiUs; 10 plants; 

1 foot apart. 
Bleeding Heart. 

41. Delphinium grandiflorum ; 12 

plants; 1 foot apart. 
Larkspur. 

42. Papaver nudicaule; 20 plants; 6 

beds; 1 foot apart. 
Iceland Poppy. 

43. Anemone Japonica; 45 plants; 

8 inches apart. 
Wind Flower. 

44. Space reserved for low growing 

annuals. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 69 

windows of the house, the street, and any other vantage point 
on the grounds. 

Views are often destroyed by lack of consideration as to the 
ultimate effect of the shrubs or trees planted. Then locate or 
indicate the objectionable features that should be hidden, 
such as a neighbor's back door, a stable, etc. Then proceed 
to plot on the plan the desirable locations for the shrubs or 
trees chosen. 

In making this plan the home builder may embody many of 
the choice plants often admired in some friend's grounds. By 
such consideration many disappointments will be avoided in 
the failure of plants to grow. The shade of a tree, the north 
side of a building, the climatic conditions, or the quality of the 
soil will preclude many of the plants desired. It will be found, 
however, that there are many more varieties that may be used 
never thought of by the home builder without such study. 

The size of the plant as received from the nursery as com- 
pared with its ultimate growth is one of the usual forgotten 
points. Trees are planted too closely together as they appear 
only as poles at first. Later, when they grow and appear to 
crowd, there is difficulty in getting any of them removed. 
"Woodman, spare that tree" is one of the unwritten laws. 
Another error often made is the desire to use too large a 
variety of trees and shrubs. There are new varieties intro- 
duced and offered as specialties by the nurserymen each year 
which are destined to fail if the climatic conditions and soil 
preparations are unsuitable. It is better to limit the list to a 
few plants of sure growth at the first planting. Try to use 
plants that will take care of themselves. 

In planning, strive to get simple broad effects instead of 
startling ones. The novelty, in time, passes away by the 
latter method and a more restful, homelike, and less expen- 
sive result is secured by the former plan. Plan to plant in 
gi^oups and masses rather than the spotting of the lawn by 
the use of individual shrubs. Many a fine lawn has been 



70 How to Lay Out 

ruined by such methods. A single row of trees or shrubs for 
a screen is not so good as a broad belt or plantation. See 
Plate XXVI. The row looks too thin. However, it may be 
necessary to use a single row on account of the contracted area 
of the grounds. 

What shall I plant? is the question usually asked, and not 
where or how to make pleasing grouping or picture-like 
arrangements. More than half the failures are due to this 
misplaced emphasis. It is the design, the general mass, the 
varied sky line or outline that makes the pictures, not the indiv- 
idual plant. Without considering the pigments one looks at 
a beautiful painting and realizes it is a masterpiece. Never- 
theless it is the pigments in the hand of the master that makes 
the work of art. Likewise there are several kinds of plants 
which may be used in the same situation to obtain the same 
mass effect. It is a peculiar fact that by planting a place 
may appear to look larger, especially if the border plantations 
have been well studied. A gi'oup or plantation on the border 
line not only protects the boundary, but gives a limiting point 
for the eye to rest upon. If the interior lawn is kept free and 
open, the extent of the ground is increased. See Plates XXV 
and XXVI. 

In planning a border plantation it is not necessary to omit 
the plants in the border, only vary it by the choice of plants 
with regard to the height to which they will grow. See Plates 
XXXI, XXXII, XXXIII, and XXXIV. 

Choose plants that will harmonize in leaf, color, and form, 
unless a contrast is desired. If a contrast is desired it should 
be studied to avoid making a spotted appearance. 

There are but few buildings that do not look bold and bare 
without some plants to soften the sharp line where building 
and ground unite. Plant along the base of a building, not 
too heavily, but enough to obtain the softening effect and 
make the house appear a part of the composition. See Plates 
XII, XXIX, and XXX. 




Plate XXIII. Wall aud yate to kitchen entrance. T^ote good design for 
gate and poor bonding in construction of wall. 




Plate XXIV. Brick boundary wall, vine covered, screening the grounds 
from the public gaze. 




Plate XXV. Tree and shrubbery embordered lawn, simple yet charming 
Weeping beech on right, Lombardy poplar in distance. 




Plate XXVI. Open iawu between house and street. House above sireet. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 75 

Do not cut flower beds in the lawn but use herbaceous per- 
ennials and plant them along the edge of the shrubbery border. 
The shrubbery forms a good background to set off the bloom. 
Some people have a liking or hobby for hybrid roses, and the 
lawn is dug into beds and roses planted in every conspicuous 
place. The roses are beautiful when in bloom but at other 
seasons they are a group of straggling briars. The best way 
to have roses is to set apart an area especially for them, or 
plan a rose garden. 

In designing the planting it is a good idea to study nature, 
walk along the roadside or in the fields and observe how masses 
are formed by the intermingling of the various trees and shrubs. 
These have character and grouping that is often artistically 
perfect. Such groups were formed by the seeds being carried 
by the winds or by birds. They represent the survival of 
the fittest, the stronger varieties predominating in the group. 

In planning a group or mass the practice of having the plants 
arranged in tiers or ranks should be discarded, as the result 
is tame and uninteresting. The introduction of some pointed 
or spiry formed shrubs or trees as a lombardy poplar at salient 
points gives character and adds interest to what otherwise 
would be a dull and uninteresting plantation. See Plate XXV. 
In planning it should be remembered that the plan gives 
only the locations of the various features and plants, and it 
must be borne in mind that everything will be seen in per- 
spective when the plan is executed. 

The human eye has been trained to seek balance of parts 
or symmetry of design. In fact, nature seems to be arranged 
with the idea of balance about some common centre. If there 
is one particular thing, it is placed in the centre. If there are 
two, they are placed equidistant from the centre. Thus in 
planning the home grounds there will need to be a sense of 
balance in the treatment. It is not necessary always to have 
the individual shrubs duplicated about a common axis, although 
in certain instances this might be admissible. It is the gen- 



76 How to Lay Out 

eral form, the appearance as a whole, that gives the sense of 
balance. See Plates XXV, XXVII, and XXXIV. 

The ground plan or outline of the planting should show 
prominent points and deep bays; the extent of one's grounds 
can be greatly increased by the appearance of distance made 
by a plantation bay. In planning and estimating the number 
of plants to be used, the determining thought should be whether 
the planting is to be done for immediate or ultimate effect. If 
for immediate effect, the number used will be greater than for 
ultimate effect. The plants when full grown need plenty of 
room, but if planted when small to allow for the required space 
there will be large spaces between the shrubs that will need 
to be kept in grass and mowed or filled with some flowering 
perennials that will cover the bare ground during the period of 
growth. 

In grouping to conceal any objectionable object, the choice 
of plants should be made of the kinds that are evergreen, or 
of a very twiggy nature. If loose growing, they form no bar- 
rier to the vision in winter. 

Fall and winter effects can also be secured by choosing the 
kinds that are known to color well in the fall and retain the 
berries all winter, such as the Japan barberry. 

The use of evergreen trees and shrubs is desirable for screen- 
ing purposes, for wind breaks, for hedges, for permanent winter 
effects, or for backgrounds for showy plants. Unfortunately, 
the list of evergreen plants which are perfectly hardy in the 
northern part of this country is very limited, yet such as we 
have are worthy of cultivation. The liability of death from 
a severe winter or from the alternate thawing and freezing in 
the early spring makes the list very small. Remarkably fine 
effects can be obtained by the use of broad leaved evergreens 
such as rhododendron and mountain laurel. It is also a safe 
rule to use native evergreens such as the white pine or hem- 
lock. See Plates XXVII and XXVIII. 




Plate XXVII. 



Natural style, a glimpse through hemlocks on the margin of a 
small estate gives it a' sense of great extent. 




Plate XXVIII. Natural style of development. Path skirls herbaceous peren- 
nials and shrubbery massed without architectural adornment, white pines 
in background. 




Suburban Home Grounds. 79 



CHAPTER IX. 

You may be on land, yet not in a garden. 

A noble plant suits not with a stubborn ground. 

The charges of building and making of gardens 

are unknown. 
Although it rains, throw not away the watering 

pot. 
Fear keeps the garden better than the gardener. 
A garden must be looked unto and dressed, as a 

body. — George Herbert. 

HERE is no more critical time in the life of well 

chosen plants than at the time of planting or trans- 

])lanting. Upon this rests the success or failure of 

the shrubs and trees used to adorn the home grounds. 

Of course, there must be subsequent care. 

There are several sources from which the plants may be 
secured. They may be dug from the fields where they are 
growing wild, they may be raised from seed, they may be raised 
from cuttings, or by purchase from a nursery. For the ordinary, 
small suburban home the latter method is the best and quickest 
in producing the desired results. 

Better success is obtained if the nursery grown plants have 
been moved several times in the nursery as they have then 
formed a good mass of roots and will not feel the shock of trans- 
planting or show the effects that native dug plants do. Use 
small plants, especially in the evergreen class. They usually 
do better and more lasting results are obtained than by secur- 
ing larger ones. It is not only necessary to make a plant live 
but to make it grow to have satisfaction. 

Plants ordered from the nurseries are usually dug and packed 
with wet moss or other damp wrappings to keep the roots 
moist during transportation. As soon as the plants are 
received they should be unpacked, and if they cannot be 



So How to Lay Out 

planted out immediately they should be " heeled in, " i.e., the 
roots placed in a trench and covered with moist earth. 

Care should be taken to keep the earth moist until the 
plants can be set out in the permanent position. If the plants 
are kept in the original wrapping the roots should bo kept 
wet. 

To plant a tree and have it thrive needs only thorough 
work and proper care. The tree hole or pit should be dug 
broad enough to take the roots of the tree spread out and deep 
enough to give sufficient soil for the new roots to gi-ow. From 
5 to 10 feet in diameter and 3 to 4 feet in depth, according to 
the size of tree and soil conditions, is none too little. 

At the bottom of the pit stir in a bushel of well rotted 
manure and mix with good soil. Then set the tree or shrub a 
little lower than it was in the nursery, scatter the earth about 
the roots and firmly tread so that no air spaces remain. If 
the weather is dry it is a good plan to water the roots when 
planting. Watering also helps to settle the earth about the 
roots. A mulching or covering of manure, straw, or leaves, 
will prevent the ground drying out and thus save the plants 
from dying. Mulching is especially good for fall planting. 

Stake the tree, if in a windy place, to a stout pole. Use a 
piece of rubber hose or burlap for a strap to hold the tree to the 
pole and avoid chafing. 

The planting bed should be made two feet in de])th of good 
topsoil, and if this quantity does not exist the subsoil should 
be removed and good topsoil substituted. The soil should 
have well rotted manure mixed with it before planting the 
shrubs. 

It is a good rule to prune the tops ' of trees and shrubs to 
equalize the loss of roots caused by moving. This may not 
be so ornamental when first set out, but the plant soon regains 
new, vigorous growth which repays for the loss of the branches. 
After the trees and shrubs have become established they need 
but little care. 




Pi.ATK XXIX. Appearance of house before planting. 




Plate XXX. Appearance of house after planting. Note the softening of the 
architecture uniting the house to the ground. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 83 

Should the shrubs grow too rank, or if it appears necessary 
to prune, the best time is after the plants have bloomed; if 
before the plants have bloomed, ^alLthe flower buds are sac- 
rificed. For instance, forsythia, spireas, honeysuckles, etc., 
bloom early in the summer. They should be pruned after 
blooming so the buds will set for the next year's growth. 
Later blooming plants like altheas and hydrangeas should be 
pruned in the winter during the months of January and Feb- 
ruary. Deciduous hedges may be pruned in the spring or 
after the plants have flowered. Evergi-een hedges are best 
pruned in May before th^ beginning of the new growth. 

To prune old trees cut the limbs close to the tree. Do not 
leave a stub, as it will decay. Paint the wound with coal tar 
or paint. To remove large limbs make the first cut some 
distance from the trunk of the tree and cut from below, then 
make a cut from above and the limb will fafl, leaving a stub. 
Then cut the stub close to the trunk of the tree. This method 
avoids stri})ping the bark all down the sides of the tree. By 
this method the scar will heal very rapidly by the bark growing 
over the wound. There is a practice or theory that all shrubs 
must be pruned up from the bottom and have the top "shin- 
gled." This is a very bad plan, so avoid doing it. Let them 
alone, let them grow naturally, for thus is their full beauty 
secured. The only care needed in shrubbery beds is to remove 
the weeds, loosen the earth about the roots, fertilize when neces- 
sary, see that the plants do not dry out and occasionally cut 
out the dead wood. 

What is the best time to plant? is often asked. 

Spring is nature's time for awakening, then all the dormant 
forces are active and plants set out continue to grow. Spring 
is therefore the best time. Fall planting, however, is equally 
successful for a large number of plants, especially if they are 
set out early enough to allow the plants to get established 
before frost. The fall allows a longer time in which to work 
with the added advantage of being free for the usual spring 



84 How to Lay Out 

rush. About October 15th is the time to begin planting, vary- 
ing with the season in different localities. 

The time to plant evergreens is in April and May before the 
new growth begins or in August and early September after 
the growth has ceased. 

Evergreens as a rule should be planted in good soil well 
drained. On no account should the roots be allowed to dry 
out at the time of planting or later the plant will gradually 
grow brown or die. 

When the ground is ready unwrap the plant and set into the 
ground immediately, press the soil about the roots, and water 
thoroughly. Be sure the roots are covered after watering. 
Do not let manure come in contact with the roots, and cut off 
any marred or broken roots. After planting, a heavy mulching 
of straw, hay, or leaves will prevent drying out and be an aid 
to success. Hedges whether of evergreens or deciduous plants 
are often better than a fence for marking the boundary of the 
property or along the street front. They are also useful to 
inclose a laundry yard, flower or vegetable garden. 

In planting a hedge be sure of good soil, then dig a trench 
about 2 feet wide and 18 inches to 2 feet in depth. At the 
bottom of the trench spread a layer of well rotted manure and 
mix well with the soil. Then set the plants in a straight line 
at the distance decided upon, 12 inches or IS inches apart. 

To double the number of plants in the hedge in setting them 
out greatly helps the effect. Alternate the plants and space 
about 18 inches apart in the rows. It is a good plan to settle 
the earth about the roots of the plant by giving them a good 
watering and then fill in the hollows with additional soil and 
water thoroughly. It is a good rule to mulch. Set the plants 
a little lower than in the nursery to avoid gaps appearing at 
the base. Prune the plants in and endeavor to get a good 
bushy growth near the ground. 

In pruning the hedge, the shape adopted should be one that 
will not shade the lower portion of the plants. A rectangular 




Plate XXXI. Appearance of house and grounds before treatmeni. 




Plate XXXII. Appearance of house and grounds after study and 
development. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 87 

form is good or a rounding form at the toj). Hybrid roses need 
rich soil, an abundance of sun, close spring pruning, and close 
inspection to detect insect pests. Should insects infest imme- 
diate spraying is the remedy. The best time to prune is in 
March. Cut out all the second year growth, one half the first 
year growth, and cut the weak canes severely. During the 
growing season it is a good plan to keep the soil stirred about 
the roots. The use of cow manure water at the time of 
blooming greatly improves the size and number of the flowers. 
Roses are great feeders. In the use of vines, choose for the 
purpose they are to serve, whether for shade, fruit, or flowers. 

Give the vines good depth of soil and make a large pit. 
Many failures are due to planting vines against the house in 
but a few inches of good soil which has gravel and stones under- 
neath. Vines, like other plants, need good soil and good manure. 
See Plates XXIV and XXXVII. 

The revival of the old fashioned flowers, the hardy herba- 
ceous perennials, is bringing into many a home the pleasures 
that were enjoyed by the people of colonial days. To be sure, 
the art of using the home simples such as catnip, sage, and 
wormwood, has passed. To-day the old fashioned plants are 
grown for their flowers. See Plates VI, XIX, XXII, XX^7II, 
XXXV, XXXVI. 

The great advantage of using perennials is their permanent 
character. Once established there is no need to sow or replant 
every spring, as in the case with annuals or greenhouse plants, 
and there will be a constant yield of flowers for cutting. 

Perennials are good in an inclosed flower garden, and on the 
edge of a lawn in the front of a shrubbery border. One great 
advantage in the use of perennials is that during the latter 
part of the summer they supply flowers when other plants 
are out of bloom. Shrubs flower early, and except for these, 
the latter part of August would be void of bloom. The home 
builder by choosing a few sure growing varieties, will avoid 
disappointment from trying many experimental kinds on 



SS How to Lay Out 

account of the soil conditions or aspects not being perfect. 
If trees are near the flower bed, the shade may cause trouble 
or the roots of the tree may sap the soil of all nourishment 
unless a liberal supply of manure is added each year. In plan- 
ning, choose and arrange the plants so that there will be a 
succession of bloom. 

There is often difficulty in arranging the color scheme to 
avoid the clash of inharmonious colors. The free use of white 
flowering kinds is a great help in reconciling the warring colors. 
In natural planting, every effort should be made to avoid 
straight lines or rows so as to obviate the stiff formal effect. 

In planting, allow them room enough to grow, and do not 
put the taller growing plants in front of the lower growing 
varieties. Start with the taller growing plants and then edge 
down to the lower growing kinds, but not in ranks or tiers. 
Try to get variety in outline and sky line. 

Herbaceous perennials need a good, deep, rich soil. It is 
well to make the bed 2 feet in depth and add a (juantity of 
good well rotted stable or cow manure. There is little care 
needed except to occasionally remove the weeds and in the fall 
give a coating of manure for winter protection. There are a 
few kinds of perennials that are better moved and divided 
once every three or four years, but, as a rule, the plants should 
be left undisturbed. 

In addition to herbaceous perennials a few bulbs such as 
scilla, hyacinth, and crocus planted along the edges of the border 
and in the grass give an early promise of spring. Care must 
be taken, however, not to mow the grass in the spring until the 
bulbs have ripened and sets formed for the next year. 

"How long before the shrubs will be full grown?" That 
depends upon the particular plant. As a rule, the first year 
the plants are set out they become established and get a new 
root system, the second year there is a fair growth of the 
branches, the third year the plants ought to show flowers and 
be in good condition. 




Plate XXXIII. Appearance of house and grounds open to street after 
grading and before planting. 




Plate XXXIV. Appearance of house after grading and jalanting have been 
completed. Note varying height of border plantation. 




ro fr^ 



\Gf'B(^^0 ^3^^ 






Currants 



5traaiberries 



P'^ 



Currants 



1 

) 

Peach ^ J 



<;_, J O" 



^^'^ r O (T^O strawberries \{ 










Plan VII. Tape measured survey of Estate " B," showing the usual scattered 
unstudied treatment. 








,^'r\ {y'^:> ^'^ (T"^ i 
^.'^ ^'^ r-'^^ ^r-^ ^r^xi 




Py, ^.'^ r-"^ (T?-^ (T 
|s>cf dtp ^sm v™.ch 

feci^ ^O^ «J^\ 



n 

Orchard, 



3C 



FlovTI 

Sun*DllL I 

'ARDEN I 






Plan VIII. Preliiiiiuary plan for Estate " B," shrubs and liovvers uioved to 
make a good design. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 95 




CHAPTER X. 

Trees are God's Architecture. — Anonymous. 

HAT kind of a tree shall I plant is often the first 
(juestion asked by the improver of his home grounds. 
If trees native to the locality are suggested, immedi- 
M ately the objection is raised that they are so com- 
monplace. Some tree or plant that is a native of another 
land and clime is demanded, with the usual result of a partial 
or complete failure. Every section of the country has its 
trees and slirubbery that are indigenous to the soil, as well 
as many that have been naturalized by careful growing by 
skilled nurserymen or owners of large estates who are lovers 
of trees. For the ordinary man to experiment with untried 
trees means, often failure or disappointment, as well as un- 
necessary expense. Emphasis can again be placed upon the 
design rather than upon the indi vidua plants that go to make 
the landscape picture. It needs only the trained eye to rec- 
ognize effects and to appreciate the landscape value in the 
native kinds of trees in making the picture. Nearly all regions 
have trees in form that are round headed, spiry shaped, and 
columnar, drooping and weeping, as well as other general forms 
and shapes, that can be used to secure similar landscape effects — 
such as the yew in England and the cedar in America. 

For permanent screens, wind breaks, and charming winter 
effects, the evergreen trees should be used. If summer shade 
is desired, with an opening to the sun, and an airy effect in 
winter, the deciduous or leaf shedding trees should be chosen. 
The varying colors of the foliage as the season advances should 
also be borne in mind. Specimen trees must be planted free 
from encroaching trees and shrubbery to secure the full value 



96 How to Lay Out 

of their nature and habit. They should be placed near a mass 
of foliage and not in the center of a lawn. This method of 
treatment is possible in large estates : smaller suburban grounds 
can grow but few trees as individuals. 

In choosing trees for the home grounds they must be selected 
with care as to the exposure, ultimate size, rapidity of growth, 
length of life, adaptability to the soil, as well as to the general 
landscape effect. As a pattern for a mixed plantation of 
trees the native woods should be studied, \vith their compo- 
sition of various kinds of trees that have been planted by 
nature's method of the ^\dnds, the birds and the animals carry- 
ing seeds and nuts, storing them for future use. We have but 
to open our eyes and look at the landscape as the seasons 
advance, and, as the sunlight and shadow pass across the woods, 
we may see many pictures, that if painted by an artist in oil 
on canvas, we should be ready to criticise and chscredit. 

Some of the reasons why trees die after transplanting are: — 

Because they have lost too many of their roots ; 

Because after they were dug from the ground or unwrapped 
from the nursery package they were too much exposed to the 
sun and dry air; 

Because the soil was not packed tightly around the roots 
when they were planted, they rock back and forth ; 

Because the soil was too wet where they were planted, no 
drainage in the tree hole. Sometimes the soil is made very 
wet and is of such a kind that when it dries it bakes and keeps 
out the air; 

Because the soil in which the tree was planted dried out 
too quickly. 

Trees have been described as of rapid and slow growth. 
The following hst will give the average size that a three-inch 
sapling will develop in twenty years under favorable con- 
ditions. The height to wliich each kind of tree attains in the 
same period will be in the usual proportion to the diameter. 
The height to which the trees attain when fully grown, with 



Suburban Home Grounds. 



97 



all the conditions of soil, climate, and exposure favorable, 
is shown in the last column. 



Common Name. 



White or silver maple 

American elm 

Sycamore (buttonwood or plane tree) 

Tulip tree 

Linden or basswood 

Hardy catalpa 

Red maple 

Ailanthus or tree of Heaven 

Magnolia or cucumber tree 

Che.stnut 

Sugar, rock or hard maple 

Hor.se chestnut 

Honey locust 

Red oak 

Pin oak 

Scarlet oak 

White ash 

White oak 



Size After 


Average Height 


20 Years. 


when Full Grown 


Diameter, In. 


Feet. 


21 


100 to 120 


19 


100 to 120 


18 


80 to 100 


18 


80 to 150 


17 


60 to 80 


16 


80 to 100 


16 


100 to 120 


16 


50 to 60 


15 


80 to 90 


14 


80 to 100 


13 


100 to 120 


13 


60 to 80 


13 


70 to 140 


13 


80 to 150 


13 


80 to 120 


13 


70 to 80 


12 


60 to 80 


11 


80 to 100 



EVERGREEX TrEES. 

Arborvitae — in various forms and varieties. 
Fir — Balsam, Silver, Nordman's, etc. 
Hemlock — Tsuga canadensis. 
Juniper — Red Cedar and other varieties. 
Pine — Austrian, Scotch, White, etc. 
Retinospora— Tlu-ead-branched, plume-Hke, etc. 
Spruce — Colorado, Norway, White, etc. 

Many other varieties of evergreen trees can be found in the 
various parts of the great country of the United States, with 
its varying climate. To obtain such lists a \isit to a leading 
nursery, an arboretum, or the services of a Landscape .Archi- 
tect will be found helpful to the seeker after beautiful results 
in the Home Grounds. 



98 How to Lay Out 




CHAPTER XI. 

It is in Society as in nature — not the useful but 
the ornamental that strikes the imagination. — 
Sir Humphrey Davy. 

EAUTIFUL grounds are admired by everyone. One 
such in a neighborhood is distinctive and acts as 
an incentive and pattern for the adjoining prop- 
erties. The artistic finish is often secured by planting 
flowering slirubs, especially when they are used to hide dis- 
agreeable objects, define the boundaries of property, and to 
furnish an abundance of flowers throughout the summer. 
As the seasons advance the slu'ubs will present a varied effect, 
especially if well chosen and arranged according to height, 
color of flowers and foliage, and time of flowering. Even in 
winter, bright, showy berries and highly colored stems add a 
brightness that can be secured in no other way. The usual 
method recommended for planting slirubs is in groups and 
masses, with a few individuals on the margins. To plant 
single slirubs all over a lawn spoils the open effect and reduces 
the apparent extent of the grounds. There are slirubs native 
to the locahties that are well worth cultivating. Other va- 
rieties have been cultivated by skilful gardeners and importers- 
to be equally hardy. A frequent visit should be made to an 
arboretum or a reUable nursery as the season advances to watch 
the character of the plants as they grow. A quicker way 
would be to secure the services of a competent adviser to tell 
the best kinds of trees, slirubs, and flowers to use in the im- 
provement. Avoid the too-free use of striking or startling 
plants if harmony is desired, such hydrangea paniculata, the 
variegated leaved slirubs, and weird grafted horticultural 



Suburban Home Grounds. 99 

variety of large slirubs and small trees. There are several 
kinds of slii'ubs that can be used to secure similar effects as 
to form and mass effect so that, if one variety is not available, 
another can be substituted. The true way to secure a beautiful 
garden and grounds is to plant what soil, situation and climate 
allow, and by that method each garden \vill present its own 
distinctive individual charm. There are shrubs that flower 
one after the other from April to September, wliich, if arranged 
properly, ^vill give flowers all summer. The following is a 
list of a few shrubs that are commonly found in nurseries. 
Many more varieties will be found in the nurseries and arbor- 
etums, hardy and desirable in the locality in which the improve- 
ments are to be made, whether in the Northern States, the 
Southern States, the Middle States, or in California. The 
botanical name, the common name, the color of flower and, 
the letters D (dwarf), S (small), M (medium), L (large), are 
given as a guide to the size of the shrubs. 



March. 

Magnolia stellata Hall's magnolia White L 

Daphne mezereum Common mezereum .... Red D 

April. 

Cornus Mas Cornelian cherry Yellow L 

Forsy thia Fortuneii Golden bell Yellow L 

Spirea Thimbergii Thunberg's spirea White S 

May. 

Berberis Thimbergii Japanese barberry Yellow S 

Cydonia Japonica Japanese quince Scarlet M 

Deutzia gracillis Slender deutzia White S 

Exochorda grandiflora Pearl bush White L 

Forsythia viridissima Golden bell Yellow M 

Kerria Japonica Globe flower Yellow M 

Ribes aureum Missouri currant Yellow M 

Syringia vulgaris Common lilac Purple L 

Viburnum plicatum Snowball White L 



lOO How to Lay Out 

June. 

Berberis vulgaris Common barberry Yellow S 

Chionanthus virginica White fringe White L 

Deutzia crenata Deutzia Pinkish L 

Deutzia Lemoinei Lemoine deutzia White S 

Ligiistrum medium Privet White M 

Lonicera Tatarica Bush honeysuckle Pink L 

Philadelphus coronarius Mock orange White L 

Roses in variety Roses All colors 

Spirea Van Houteii Van Houtte's spirea .... White M 

July. 

Cornus paniculata Gray dogwood White L 

Diervilla Candida White wigelea White M 

Diervilla Eva Rathke Eva Rathke wigelia .... Crimson M 

Elseagnus longipes Japan oleaster Yellow L 

Ligustrum Ibota Japan privet White L 

Lonicera Morroweii Bush honeysuckle Yellow M 

Stephanandra flexuosa Stephanandra White S 

Symphoricarpos racemosus .... Snowberry Pink S 

August. 

Hibiscus in variety Rose of Sharon All colors M 

Hypericum aureum St. John's wort Yellow D 

Spirea var. Anthony Waterer . . Anthony Waterer spirea Pink D 

September. 

Caryopteris Mastacanthus. . . . Blue spirea Lavender D 

Baccharis halmifolia Groundsel tree White L 

Desmodium penduliflorum Sweet pea shrub Violet D 

Hamamelis Virginiana Witch hazel Yellow L 

Hibiscus in variety Rose of Sharon All colors L 

Hydrangea paniculata var. 

grandiflora Hydrangea Pinkish L 

Winter Berried Shruhs. 

Berberis Thunbergii Japan barberry 

Berberis vulgaris Common barberry 

Viburnum Opulus High bush cranberry 

Rosa multiflora Many flowered rose 

Rosa rugosa Japanese rose 



Suburban Home Grounds. loi 

A Few Desirable Erer green Shrubs. 

Andromeda floribunda Lily of the valley bush 

Azalea amoena Azalea 

Berberis aquifolium Ash berry 

Buxus in variety Box— various kinds 

Calluna in variety Heather 

Daphne cneorum Daphne 

Euonymus radicans in var Evergreen creeper 

Ilex in variety Holly 

Kalmia latifolia Mountain laurel 

Rhododendrons in variety Rhododendrons 



I02 How to Lay Out 



CHAPTER XII. 

And from my heart poured out the feeHng of 
love; it poured forth a wild longing into the 
broad night. The flowers in the garden beneath 
my window breathed a strong perfume. — Henri 
Heine. 




HE desire to have an abundance of flowers is strong 
in tlie home lover's heart. The annual outlay for 
greenhouse bedchng plants deters the average man 
from much display. There is a better way coming 
into vogue now by the revival of the old-fashioned flowers 
of the " Grandmother's Garden." These are called perennials, 
or hardy herbaceous perennials, because their tops che to the 
ground, but their roots live. These hardy plants begin to 
bloom from earliest spring) and continue until November. 
They are of all colors and varieties. The best time to plant 
is in early fall or very early spring. 

The soil should be two feet in depth and of good vegetable 
garden quahty, with enough retentive compost so that the 
plants will not dry out in hot weather. After planting, the 
beds must be dressed with manure each year to have good 
plants and flowers. Starvation of soil means dearth of bloom. 
Many kinds of herbaceous plants should be lifted every thi-ee 
or four years and divided, because the crown on which the 
flowers grow has become run out. Many of the plants grow 
from the center outward and the bloom will soon become 
scattered, spindhng and unattractive. Another reason for 
dividing is that the number of plants will be increased, giving 
an opportunity for exchange with neighbors, or to plant in 
other parts of the grounds. There are varieties of plants 



Suburban Home Grounds. 



lO 



o 



that are indigenous to tiie soil, called native, that may jae 
dug up and replanted in the garden. Oftentimes it requires 
skill ana patience to make them grow, for they pine away 
and die out of their native habitat. Climatic and soil influences 
curtail the list of plants that might be applicable to a whole 
country. For safety, only plants that are known to be hardy 
should be selected. In the following Hst are a few names of 
desirable kinds that may be found in nurseries: the botanical 
name, the common name, the color and the months of bloom 
are given: 



Achillea variety, the pearl Yarrow 

Aconitum napelus Monkshood . . . . 

Althea Hollyhock 

Alyssum saxatile compactum Golddust 

Anemone in variety * Wind flower. . . . 

Aquelegia in variety Columbine 

Arabis albida Rock cress 

Aster in variety Hardy asters . . . 

Campanula in variety Bluebells 

Chrysanthemums in variety and 

hybrids 

Coreopsis grandiflora Tickseed 

Delphinium in variety and hybrids . Larkspur 

Dianthus in variety Pink 

Dicentra spectablis Bleeding heart. . 

Digitalis in variety Fox glove 

Funkia subcordata Plantain lily . . . 

Hemerocallis in variety Day lily 

Iberis sempervirens Candy tuft 

Iris Germanica in variety German iris. . . . 

Iris Kaemi)i'eri in variety Japanese iris. . . 

Lilium in variety Lily 

Lobelia cardinallis Cardinal flower 

Lupinus polyjihyllus Lupine 

Monarda didyma Bee balm 

Myosotis palustris Forget-me-not. . 

Paonies in variety Peony 

Papaver nudicaule Iceland poppies 



Jy to S 
Jy to S 
Ju to S 
Ap to Ju 
Ap to S 
Ap&S 
Ap & My 
My to S 
Ju to S 

Ju to S 
Ju to S 
Ju to S 
Ju to S 
Ap to Ju 
Ju to Jy 
Jy to S 
Ju to Au 
My to Ju 
Ju 
Ju 

Ju to Oct 
Au to S 
Ju & Jy 
Ju to S 
My & Ju 
My & Ju 
Mv to Oct 



White 
Blue 

All colors 
Yellow 
Various 
All colors 
White 
All colors 
All colors 

All colors 

Yellow 

All colors 

All colors 

Crin.son 

All colors 

White 

Yellow 

White 

All colors 

All colors 

All colors 

Scarlet 

Blue 

Red 

Bhie 

All colors 

Yellow 



* In variety means that there are several kinds of the same plant that have a different 
color of flower, cr some change in foliage that makes it desirable iinder certain conditions 
to use. 



I04 How to Lay Out 

Phlox subulata Moss pink Ap to My Pink 

Phlox tall growing Phlox Ju to S All colors 

Pyrethrum in variety Feverfew Ju to S Various 

colors 

Rudbeckia lacinata Golden glow ... Au & S Yellow 

Trollius Europaeus Globe flower . . . My to Au Yellow 

Veronica in variety Speedwell Ju & Jy White & 

blue 

Viola in variety Violets Ap & My White & 

blue 

A suggestive list of a few bulbs and perennials that bloom 
in the different months: 

March. 

Snowdrops White 

Crocusus Various 

Scillas Various 

April. 

Tulips Various 

Jonquils Yellow 

Pansies (set out) Various 

May. 

Moss pink White, pink 

Bleeding heart . Pink 

Clove pinks White, pink 

June. 
The Month of Flowers. 

Forget-me-not Blue 

Larkspur Blue, white, etc. 

German iris Various 

July. 

Hollyhocks Various 

Lillies Various 

Phlox hardy Various 

August. 

Mallow Wliite, pink 

Golden glow Yellow 

Speedwell Blue 




Plate XXXV. Terrace garden, herbaceous perenuials, brick walk. 




Platk XXX VI. Herbaceous flower garden. Note the general mass effect. 

p. 93 



Suburban Home Grounds. 107 

September. 

Hardy asters Various 

Anemone japonica White, pink 

Larkspur, late blooming Various 

October. 

Cosmos Red, white, pink 

Chrysanthemum Various 

Note. Other lists can be made according to the tastes and desires of the lover of 
flowers. The same principle holds good in whatever country the improvements are 
made. 

The names of a few slirubs and small trees that bloom in 
different months: 

Common Name. ' Color. Siie. 

March. 

Hall's magnolia White L 

April. 

Golden bell Yellow L 

Thunberg's snirea White S 

May. 

Japanese barberry Yellow S 

Common lilac Purple L 

Snowball White L 

June. 

Bush honeysuckle Pink L 

Roses All colors 

July. 

Wigelia Various M 

Jap? n privet White L 

Bush honeysuckle Yellow M 



io8 



How to Lay Out 



August. 

Common Name. Color. 

Rose of Sharon All 

Anthony Waterer spirea Pink 

St. John's Wort Yellow 

September. 

Hydrangea Pinkish 

Sweet pea shrub Violet 

Witch hazel Yellow 

Note. L=large; M = medium; S=small; D =dwarf. 



Size. 

M 
D 
D 



L 
D 
L 




i33aj.s 



UJSi/x^ 



.jT^Cpr 




^■33HIS 




13 381$ 



■&3=-- 




Plate XXXVII. 



Bird bath walk from flower garden, 
spring planting. 



Taken in June aftei 



Suburban Home Grounds. 1 15 




CHAPTER XIII. 

You have heard it said (and I beUeve there is 
more than fancy in that saying, but let it pass 
for a fanciful one) that flowers only flourish in 
the garden of some one who loves them. — 
— John Ruskin. 

LOWERS — a bountiful bloom — is the desire of many 
lovers of the beautiful, and not the fruit which is 
the product that comes after the flowers. Nature 
, has many ways of perpetuating its kind and the flower 
of the plant is one method with the rich color, the delicate 
fragrance, and the sweet nectar as its attraction. Birds, bees, 
animals, as well as man are attracted, and assist in the fer- 
tilization and distribution of the seeds and plants. There 
is a reason for all these things that can be found out by study; 
the main one is fruit, seed and the continuing Hfe. Man, on 
account of liis love for the beautiful, has emphasized the 
flower part of the plant to. such an extent that the fruit is 
is overlooked except where there is a commercial value. Nature 
acts otherwise and knows no law of dollars and cents, only 
that the next generation of plants may be given hfe after 
the death of itself. 

Thus we have a wide range of flowers from which to choose 
that have been gathered from all quarters of the globe. Navi- 
gators, botanists, travellers, and scientists have been attracted 
by the flowers and have gathered the best to send back to 
their home land. These gleanings have been carefully propagated 
and acclimatized by skilful and patient gardeners with the 
result that to-day many flowers that are common to us are 



1 1 6 How to Lay Out 

really natives of a far-distant land. If one had time to study 
the life history of each flower it could be traced to some field 
where it grew^ wild without the protecting care of man, 

We naturally divide the flowers into divisions according 
to their nature of growth such as hardy and half-hardy, 
annuals, and so forth. Annuals are plants that grow from 
seed, flower, produce the seed and die the same year, thus 
fulfilling the law of nature for reproduction. Plants with this 
habit produce tiuick results in any garden and are depended 
upon in special difficult situations, in the flower garden, in 
the perennial garden, along shrubbery beds and many other 
delightful uses. There are a great variety of annuals in almost 
all colors, of many sizes and height: some are used for edging 
of paths, others for making flower beds, while others are useful 
to form screens to hide some disagreeable object. Some annuals 
are climbers and are used to cover arbors and serve as a screen. 

To raise annuals successfully it may be necessary to start 
some kinds of seeds in boxes, pots or other receptacles to 
enable the plants to reach their full maturity in one season, 
this of course varies according to the part of the country in 
which the home beautifier lives. To start plants indooi's take 
some boxes or flats, as they are called, and fill with a mixture of 
ecjual parts of light soil, leaf mould, and sand. To secure 
good drainage the bottom of the box should have holes bored 
through and be covered with broken flower-pot pieces, stones, 
or other coarse material. After fiUing with the soil, water the 
flats for a day or two, so that the earth is firmly set. Then 
hghtly stir the soil and scatter the seed evenly over the sur- 
face but not too thickly, then cover the seeds varying in depth 
according to the kind of seeds. The depth to plant the seed 
is usually marked upon the packages by the seedsmen as the 
plants vary in their treatment. When the seed is sown keep 
the flat in a sunny window near the glass in a temperature 
varying from 60 to 70 degrees. AA^ater should be given the 
planting carefully when required, so as not to wash out the 



Suburban Home Grounds. 1 19 

seeds. Some cover the planted seeds with a piece of news- 
paper until after the seeds have started and then it is removed. 
Do not smother the small seedlings. After the seedlings have 
become strong enough to transplant, prick them off and place 
in another flat or in pots as the case may be, to be grown until 
they are strong enough and the weather right to set them 
out in the permanent place that has already been prepared. 
For good results with annuals usually a sunny spot must be 
selected, have good deep soil and fertilize with good well- 
rotted barnyard manure or cow manure. The best seed should 
be secured that the seedsmen offer to obtain good results. 
With this preparation and the same spirit that is displayed 
in the quotation at the head of tliis chapter the plant lover 
may look for good results. The following is a Ust of a few 
of the desirable kinds : 

Asters, Ageratums, Sweet alyssum. Antirrhinum (snapdragon). 
Balsam, Calendula (pot marigold). Candytuft, Campanula 
(bluebells), Celosia, (cockscomb), Centaurea (Bachelor's button), 
Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis (Calliopsis), Cosmos, Convolvulus 
(Morning glory), Cobea scandens, Delpliinium (Larkspur), 
Datura, (Trumpet flower), Dianthus (Annual pinks). Digitalis 
(Foxglove), Eschscholtzia (California poppy), Gourds, Gyp- 
sophylla (Baby's breath), Hibiscus (Mallow), Hollyhock, 
Humulus (Hopvine), Marigold, Mignonette, Myosotis (Forget- 
me-not), Nasturtium, Pansy, Petunia, Phlox (Drummondi), 
Poppy, Portulacca, Salpiglossis, Salvia, Scabiosa (Morning 
bride), Stocks (Gilliflower), Sun flowers. Sweet pea, Verbena, 
Zinnia. 

Another kind of plants that are much sought after by indi- 
viduals that desire to take up a hobby are the bulbs. These 
have flowers of remarkable beauty in an endless variety of 
habit, size and color that have been gathered from all over 
the world. They are used in borders, hardy gardens, along 
shrubbery beds, naturalized in grass, planted on the margins of 



I20 How to Lay Out 

ponds and are especially useful for house culture. Fall is 
the best time for planting. A few of the best kinds for early 
spring flowers are: — Scilla, Chinadoxa, Crocus, Hyacinths, 
Narcissus, Tulips, Lilies in various varieties and Gladioli. 

Nature has been very kind in providing so many kinds of 
plants for almost any situation; even the vines have their 
place in the beautif3dng of the home grounds. It is stpange 
how much desire there is to have the kinds that \vi\\ not grow 
in the climate that is the environment of the home lover. 
The same holds true in vines as in other plants, that there 
are kinds that will grow well in the various parts of the country 
that will not thrive in another section. Take, for instance, 
the EngHsh Ivy so much envied in the extreme northern parts 
and grown so well in the middle section, also the climbing 
Hydrangea, a beautiful plant. 

The same treatment is given the vines that is described for 
shrubs. When piajiting near the house care should be taken 
not to place the plants so near the walls that the rain will not 
reach the roots on account of the extreme overhang of the eaves 
of the house. The following are a few of the ordinary kinds: — 
Actinidia arguta, Akebia, Celastrus Scandens (Bitter sweet). 
Clematis, Dutchman's pipe, Honeysuckle, Chmbing roses. 
Ivy various kinds, Wistaria, Woodbine, and Euonymus radicans 
(Evergreen creeper). 

The foregoing indicates in a general way the large field 
in wliich the suburban home lover may look for the material 
to make liis picture; for such it is when the decoration of 
the grounds is attempted. Emphasis must still be laid upon 
the artistic arrangement of the plants and flowers to get a 
perfect result. 




Plate XXXIX. Terrace garden, herbaceous perennials and vines, brick- 
walk. The same view as Plate XXXV after three years of growth. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 



123 




CHAPTER XIV 

The circumstances of gardeners, generally 
mean, and always moderate, may satisfy us that 
their great ingenuity is not commonly over 
recompensed. Their delightful art is practised 
by so many rich people for amusement, that 
little advantage is to be made by those who 
practise it for profit; because the persons who 
should naturally be their best customers supply 
themselves with all their most precious pro- 
ductions. — Adam Smith. 

HE busy man often finds that he has not time to 
devote to the study necessary to develop the plans 
for the home grounds, and decides it is better to 
secure the services of one who knows how, or at least 
secure the verbal advice before beginning or spending any 
money doing work that will later need to be undone. 

Before doing so, if the home builder is entirely ignorant of 
the principles that govern the art of landscape architecture, 
it is a good idea to secure and read some of the standard 
authors. As the reader goes farther into the subject he will 
have a growing respect for a profession that he assumed was 
superficial and perhaps not needed in developing his home 
grounds. He will find that the range of knowledge required 
of the landscape architect is greater than of any other pro- 
fession. Besides reading the standard authors it is a good 
idea for the home builder to peruse regularly a good reliable 
home gardening publication of which there are many pub- 
lished. These give suggestions as to the treatment of various 
difficulties that arise in caring for the grounds. 

Then after getting an idea or getting into the atmosphere 
of the landscape art the reader is in a position to appreciate 
what a professional landscape architect will advise. 



124 How to Lay Out 

The province of the landscape architect or designer is to 
advise as to the arrangement of the grounds and prepare plans 
for their execution. He will mould into shape the ideas of 
the home builder or suggest entirely new ones. He is to pro- 
tect the owner from unscrupulous contractors or nurserymen 
so as to secure the best results at the least expense. Choose, 
then, a reliable, well trained man in whom can be placed 
explicit confidence. As his remuneration for services ren- 
dered is in the form of professional fees there should be no 
inducement for him to order an excessive amount of work or a 
larger number of plants than is needed to accomplish the 
effect. He should have nothing to sell — either materials or 
plants. His knowledge, training, experience, and above all his 
artistic taste, are his stock in trade. The best landscape archi- 
tects very rarely advertise commercially and are known by 
their experience, training, and work. Avoid the free plan idea, 
for it is a well known fact that something for nothing is rarely 
given. There must be pay somewhere. 

The card of the landscape architect is usually on this order 
and shows the scope of his work: 

The undersigned offers his services to those who contemplate 
the subdivision or improvement of land for sale, the develop- 
ment or revision of large and small estates, parks, public 
squares, playgi-ounds, the surroundings of factories, hospitals, 
and other public institutions. He will consult with owners, 
architects, engineers, and others concerning the placing of 
buildings, laying out of drives and walks, grading of surfaces, 
and the treatment of old and new plantations. In general, 
his services are offered where the appearance of the result is 
worth consideration, whether in the arrangement of the land 
or of the objects upon it. 

A preliminary visit and consultation on the ground is essential 
in most cases to acquaint him with the client's wishes, and with 
the physical and financial conditions of the case, to the end 
that he may suggest the most suitable method of procedure. 




Plate XL. Simple treatment of porch of ordinary house, softening the 
severe architectural hnes. (Lot fifty feet front.) 




Plate XLL Simple entrance to kitchen i)orch and yard. 



Suburban Home Grounds. 127 

If a sketch or plan drawn to scale is desired a survey or topo- 
graphical map is ordinarily required. 

Preliminary sketches are then presented, with explanations, 
for discussion, and when these are approved a finished general 
plan follows. 

The general plan can be staked out by a surveyor and car- 
ried forward by day work under a qualified superintendent, 
but the best results are rarely obtained without the occasional 
advice on the ground and more or less assistance from the 
designer. 

If the work is to be executed under a qualified superinten- 
dent, few plans are required; but if by contract, working 
drawings and written specifications are necessary and such 
supervision as may be required. 

Planting plans for both large and small areas, and in any 
degree of detail, are prepared when occasion requires. Order 
lists for plants are made from reliable nursery catalogues and 
the lowest prices obtained for the client's benefit. 

Professional charges ca!n be had upon application by stating 
the nature of the work undertaken and the advice required. 
If desired, a preliminary visit will be made for a fee agreed 
upon in advance. 

Having secured the services of the landscape architect and 
having adopted and carried out his plans, due respect should 
be accorded to the designer and not endeavor to improve on 
the design by planting trees or shrubs on a lawn in an inar- 
tistic setting. Many a good design has been ruined by the 
so-called practical ideas of the owner, even in the process of the 
work, thereby ruining the conception and the unity and beauty 
of the place. It is only after such mistakes have been made 
that the owner realizes that it is more of an art to design the 
grounds than it is to paint a picture, for one has under his 
control the pigments and can idealize or omit any inharmo- 
nious objects in the scene, the other must make a real picture 
using materials that are not always under his control. 



128 How to Lay Out Suburban Grounds. 

The landscape architect in his position has more problems 
of revision than of original conception. Often the skilled man 
will take the existing shrubs and objects upon the ground and 
by rearranging them secure with but little expense a pleasing 
and artistic treatment. A beautiful parlor may be spoiled by 
the poor arrangement of the furniture or b}^ using inharmonious 
objects; so it is with the small suburban grounds. One advan- 
tage in getting a professional man to look over one's grounds 
is that he will see things that are inharmonious which by 
constant daily observation has been blunted or removed from 
the perceptions. 

In developing there should be a liberal amount of j^atience 
used, for grass, trees, and shrubs are not subjects of man's will, 
they must have time to grow. 

It is often a puzzle how to get or buy the plants. If a pro- 
fessional adviser is not employed the best way is to make out 
a list of the shrubs and trees desired and secure estimates from 
reliable nurseries. Many nurseries issue illustrated catalogues 
telling of the various plants, sometimes in glowing colors. 
However, it is a good plan to secure some of these and peruse 
them as a guide, but they are not to be followed blindly. They 
often tell of the ultimate size of the plant, the soil, and cultural 
reciuirements, the color and time of flowering, the summer and 
fall effect of both foliage and fruit, besides telling the varieties 
of plants that can be grown in the locality other than the 
indigenous kinds. 

Thus is the beautiful in the home grounds obtained, the 
ideal reached by prevision, determination, good work, and 
patience. Never must the design, the arrangement, the desired 
mass effect or the general conception be lost to mind, and 
the use of materials be only for the development of the idea. 
He that would attain unto any height must strive. There is 
no royal road to beautiful grounds. 




Scale of Feet. 

to ZO 50 dO SO 



Street 



Plan XIV. Topographical map of Estate "E." Note the exceedingly dif- 
ficult topography of rocks, ledges, etc. Area of estate one acre. See 
Plan XV opposite for development. 



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Street 

Plan XV. Preliminary plan for Estate " E." Note in this plan the cellar 
excavation will nearly build the terrace walls. Material for levelling 
the lawns to be brought in. 



INDEX. 



Agricultural tile, 37. 
Annuals, 119. 
Arbor, 4, 43, 50, 51. 
Architectural style, 8. 
Architect, 12, 19, 30. 
Artificial stone, 44. 

Border plantation, 70. 
Boulder bank, 52. 
Brick walk, 43, 44. 
Brook, 52. 

Bulbs, 88, 104, 120. 

Catch basin, 14, 20, 37,38. 

City regulations, 8. 

Clothes drying yard, 4, 51. 

Contrast, 70. 

Convenience in arrangement, 16. 

Cost, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15,29,30,35, 

76. 84, 88, 124. 
Crown, drive, walk, 38, 43. 
Cross section, 29. 
Crushed stone, 38, 43. 

Design of grounds, 7, 35, 52, 70, 75, 

88, 90, 124, 127, 128. 
Drainage, 11, 19,20,35,37, .5.5. 
Drains, 19, 20, 37, 38. 
Drives, 4, 29, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 49, 

124. 

Evergreens, 76, 84, 97, 101. 
Excavation, 30, 35, 38, 
Exposure to sun, 12. 

Fall effects, 76. 
Fall planting, 83. 
Fall seeding, 62. 
Fences, 51, 62, 84. 
Fertilizer, 55, 61. 



Flower garden, 4, 7, 11, 12, 16, 20, 23, 

30, 87, 88. 
Flowers, 102, 115. 
Fountain, 52. 

Gardens, 4, 29. 

Garden walk, 44. 

Grades, 29, 43, 49. 

Grading, 7, 16, 19, 35, 56, 64, 124. 

Grading plan, 30, 35. 

Granolithic walk, 44. 

Grass seed, 61. 

Gravel drive, 38. 

Group planting, 69, 70. 

Gutter, 37. 

Hedge, 84. 

Herbaceous perennials, 75, 76, 87, 88. 

House, 4, 12, 19, 20, 24, 29, 43, 60, 

70, 127. 
House lot, 16, 19, 20. 
Hybrid roses, 75, 87. 

Improvements, 11. 

Joints, in wall, 52. 

Kitchen, 12, 16. 

Landscape architect, 11, 16, 29, 30, 

64, 123, 124, 127, 128. 
Lattice fence, 51 
Laundry yard, 16, 51. 
Lawn, 4, 7, 11, 16, 29, 30, 35, 36, 50, 

51, 55, 61, 62, 64, 69, 70, 76, 84, 

88 97. 
Lot, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20. 

Macadam drive, 38. 

Maintenance, 4, 36, 38, 55, 75, 76, 79, 

87, 88. 

133 



134 



Index. 



Manure, 55, 61, 80, 88. 
Mass effect, 69, 128. 
Mulching, 80, 84. 

Natural treatment, 4, 8, 20, 35, 88. 

Neighborhood, 11. 

North Point, 24. 

Nuisances, 11, 12, 16, 69, 76. 

Nursery grown plants, 79, 128. 

Ogee curve, 35. 
Old fashioned plants, 87. 
Open lot, 16, 19. 
Owner's mistakes, 127. 

Paths, 35, 43, 44. 

Perennials, 76, 87, 88, 103. 

Pergola, 50, 51. 

Planning, 4, 7, 29, 35, 36, 70,90, 124, 127. 

Plantation bay, 76. 

Planting bed, 29, 30, 80. 

Planting design, 7, 26, 64, 69, 70, 75. 

76, 127. 
Plants and Planting, 7, 12, 20, 64, 69, 

70, 76, 79, 80, 83,87, 88, 124, 127, 128. 
Planting plan, 64, 69. 
Planting trees, 96. 
Pools, stagnant, 11. 
Preliminary plan, 24, 127. 
Pruning, 80, 83, 84, 87. 

Reseeding, 61. 
Restrictions, 11, 12. 
Rockery, 52. 
Rose garden, 75, 84. 
Rustic work, 50. 

Screening plantation, 26, 76. 

Seat, 50. 

Seed and seeding, 61; 

Sewers, 11. 

Shrubs, 7, 12, 16, 19, 23, 29, 35, 36, 

69, 75, 76, 83, 84, 88, 98, 99, 107, 

128. 



Site, 4, 8, 11, 12, 16, 23, 24. 

Sod, 62. 

Soil, 11, 35, 37, 55, 75, 80, 87, 88. 

Specifications, 30, 127. 

Spring planting, 83. 

Spring seeding, 61. 

Spruce pole fence, 51. 

Stagnant pools, 11. 

Steps, 43. 

Stepping stones, 43, 44. 

Stone, artificial, 44. 

Street, 8, 11, 51. 

Summer house, 50. 

Surface water, 19, 20, 37. 

Survey, 23, 24, 127. 

Tennis court, 7, 29, 43, 62. 
Terrace, 4, 20, 51. 
Topographical map, 23, 64, 127. 
Telford drive, 38. 
Topsoil, 30, 50, 80. 
Transplanting, 79. 
Transportation facilities, 8. 
Trees, 7, 11, 12, 16, 19, 23, 24,29, 64. 

69, 70, 75, 80, 83, 88, 95, 97, 128. 
Turf gutter, 37. 

Utilities, 7, 8, 16. 29, 36, 51. 

Vegetable garden, 11, 20. 
Views, 4, 12, 50, 64. 
Vines, 50, 87, 120. 
Vista, 50. 

Walks, 4, 35, 43, 45, 49, 124. 
Walls, 19, 20, 29, 30, 43, 51. 
Water basin, 52. 
Water supply, 11. 
Weeds, 56. 61, 88. 
Wind, 12. 
Winter effects, 76. 
Working plan, 30, 127. 
Woven wire fence, 51, 63. 



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